The End of the Beginning
by Tim Nolan
Summary: A continuation of the story from 'Obligations'. The Senshi must discover a way to defeat a powerful new foe, and find the will to fight for what looks to be a costly victory.
1. Default Chapter Title

The End of the Beginning. {1/3}  
  
  
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Tim Nolan.   
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com  
  
Please see the comments following the story.  
  
  
author's notes  
1. Warning! There is a small amount of cursing in this story.   
2. This story is very much tied in with my previous works.   
They should be read in the following order.   
Awakening, part 1  
Awakening, part 2  
Obligations  
The End of the Beginning  
3. The first part of the prologue happens right after the   
ending of 'Obligations'. The second part of the prologue  
happens several months after that. The rest of this   
story happens almost two years after 'Obligations.'  
The Inner Senshi are seventeen and soon to be eighteen.   
4. This story is not following the Japanese school system  
for when classes are in session.  
5. The continuity does not include the second part of   
'Stars', the fifth season of Sailor Moon in Japan.   
The story presented in 'Obligations' happens shortly   
after the Nephrenia arc of 'Stars', but after that,   
the anime goes one way and I go another.   
6. There are ideas and concepts from the manga involved in   
in these stories even though I do generally follow the   
anime storyline for the most part.   
7. quick translations of Japanese terms  
ojii-san : grandfather  
hime-chan : princess  
onee-san : older sister   
  
***  
  
  
The End of the Beginning.  
  
  
  
There's no time for us  
There's no place for us  
What is this thing that fills our dreams   
yet slips away from us?  
There's no chance for us  
It's all decided for us  
This world has only one sweet moment   
set aside for us.  
  
Who wants to live forever?  
  
  
-Queen, from 'Who Wants to Live Forever?'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Prologue.  
  
  
Was it the right decision? He considered the question   
as his brother cast off the guise he had assumed for this   
'visit', as their conversation would have seemed to another   
observer, and vanished. His other siblings had only recently   
begun experimenting with taking human form, something that   
he had been doing for a long time. His experience at it let   
him conceal what he had been doing from the others.  
The room he floated in was small and dimly lit, with   
a cold, bare, stone floor and walls. Several candles provided   
the illumination but the flames that topped them didn't   
flicker. The roof and a few dilapidated benches were the only   
things made of wood until he waved his hand slightly,   
dispelling the illusion below him. A bed appeared, one as   
old and worn as the benches. He put the staff that was   
resting across his knees down next to the occupant and   
considered his problems and his solutions.  
A long, long time ago, even for them, a cry in the   
darkness had made them aware of each other and that it was   
possible to communicate. One of their sisters was dying, it   
turned out, and there was nothing they could do to help   
her. The best they could do was to tell her she would   
always be remembered for giving them this wonderful gift.  
He hadn't fully agreed with his sibling, however. There   
had to be something he could do, and it took some time for   
his sister to actually die. She had tried not to show that   
it hurt, but the cries of pain she occasionally let slip   
still haunted him even now. The problem came from the fact   
that her corporeal body was being disrupted by it's   
proximity to her largest brother.   
Without that link to the physical world, she was   
fading away. There was no way for the others to take her   
place, or to share theirs with her. He seemingly ignored   
the others most of the time, garnering a reputation for   
being slow and deliberate as he pondered this problem. In   
truth, he had been devoting his time to searching for   
something he could do to help her. His solution may not   
have been elegant, but it had almost been in time.  
The others were still fascinated by their newly   
found ability to converse among themselves, and weren't   
aware of what he was going to do. It was just as well, he   
later realized. They would have tried to stop him, just on   
the basis of the risk that he was about to take.  
His sister's fate had proved that they could die. Her   
spirit, the essence that made her alive, was fading. She   
could no longer keep it safe, but if someone else couldn't,   
what if something else could? The danger came from the fact   
that he was as tied to his body as much as the others. However,   
if his sister's essence could be separated from her physical   
self, shouldn't his be able to be separated as well?  
He settled his thoughts and gently pushed all but a   
tiny fraction of himself free of the physical, leaving that   
portion as an anchor. The ease of it astounded him, and   
resolving to study this more in the future, he willed   
himself to his sister's remains. They had already started   
to cool, with only the centers of the four largest pieces   
still being warm. He could now see that most of her was   
lost, but not everything. Some of her essence still remained,   
along with most of her power, and he gathered it together   
to work with.   
Choosing those four pieces due to their size, he bound   
some of her energy and an equal portion of her spirit into   
each one. Those pieces will survive a long, long time. This   
way, part of what was left of her would be in her former   
place if she was somehow able to return, or they found a   
way to return her to life.  
The other four he chose, however, were a tiny fraction   
of the size of the others even though they had as much power.   
These four he brought with him as he returned to his body,   
and was grateful that he was actually able to make it back.   
There had been no way to test his theory.  
It was only later when he and the others who were the   
four furthest out from the center began their watch upon the   
outer reaches of the system that he realized what those four   
items could be used for. The avatars of those four were a   
part of that watch as well, and he fashioned three of the   
four objects into tools for them to use called talismans.   
The ringed one declined the use of one of them for his   
avatar, as he had a premonition that it could be unwise.   
Therefore, the other three avatars received the   
talismans he had fashioned into items out of their legends   
since the avatars still didn't know who they received their   
power from. The fourth, however, he fashioned into a   
contingency if the ringed one's fears were not groundless.   
It would be able to call upon not only the power that was   
inherent to it, but also that of the three talismans and   
the four other reserves of power. If it ever came to it,   
the avatars would be even more prepared for any possible   
emergency.   
" I was a fool," he whispered, looking down on the   
woman on the bed. That same power had drawn one group of   
enemies, and would probably bring more. Her first real   
suffering on his behalf, aside from the drawbacks to her   
long life, had come about because during the attack by   
those enemies, she stopped time to give two other avatars   
the opportunity to finish their mission. He had known what   
was going through her mind as she slammed shut the gates   
of time at the cost of her life.  
She was, in her view, making amends for what she had   
done to them. She knew that they had the other two talismans,   
but she didn't have any idea of how to remove their heart   
crystals in order to gain access to the talismans. The   
Queen's sacrifice long ago had bound the items to their   
souls as she sent them forward in time.   
Their enemies, however, knew how. By forcibly   
manifesting the souls of their victims in the shape of   
the crystalline constructs they called heart crystals,   
those enemies were searching for the talismans. His avatar   
knew that it would mean their deaths, but she had awakened   
the other two and sent them into battle. It was the only   
way to get the talismans.  
One part of her, the practical side that had grown   
cold and detached over the years, dismissed it as an   
acceptable loss. They would fight on until they were   
defeated, and then the talismans would be obtained. The   
other part of her, the warm side that was usually   
subordinate to the other, finally rebelled, gained the   
upper hand, and she gave up her life so that they might   
live.   
He had brought her back from the brink of death,   
employing his own control over time to save her. The   
evolutionary path of the humans never intended them to   
live more than a few score orbits of their homeworld. He   
didn't have the luxury of replacing avatars like the   
others. It took most of a human lifetime to train her,   
and she had a natural ability far beyond any of the   
others he had considered. No, he would only have one   
avatar, and had even shown her how to fully make use   
of her talisman. The others hadn't even done that,   
preferring to pass the talismans down from avatar to   
avatar without their knowing the true power the devices   
held.  
In part, it was his way of atoning for all he had   
done to her. She had realized and accepted the dangers   
she would face and the pain she would bear, and had   
agreed to represent him. What he was about to do was   
another part of his atonement. This would be the second   
time he had done this, and he would do it again. He owed   
her that much, at least. She was his first line of defense   
against an encroachment upon the realm of time that he had   
first glimpsed when he tried to save his sister.   
He reached into himself and took a little of his   
own life, using it to restore her to full health like he   
had done before. He had kept her from truly dying these   
two times recently and brought her back here instead,   
although it was trickier this last time. The first time   
she had merely stopped the flow of time. He had barely   
been able to find her this time amid all the strange   
convolutions in the fabric of time around her.   
He knew what she had done and took a teacher's delight   
in the progress of a student and her technical skill. The   
reason why she had done it amazed him. He still couldn't   
imagine what it would be like to have that same depth of   
feeling, or to have that much capacity to care so much   
about the welfare of another.  
" Welcome back, child," he softly said to her and   
sank into the floor as she opened her eyes.  
  
***********************************************  
  
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty thousand, he finished   
counting to himself as he walked away and began to   
calculate his tip from this bill and how much he would   
have to give to the busboy. This job at a very trendy,   
very upper-scale steak house was a godsend for his bank   
account even if it was only part time, since he filled in   
for anyone who was sick.  
" Here you go," he said to the cashier, letting the   
older man tabulate the totals on the computer and make the   
change. These were probably the last customers of the night,  
so after returning the change to the table he ducked into   
the kitchen to get a cup of decaf coffee and review his   
finances.   
He loved her dearly, but Usagi had literally been   
eating up his savings a little while ago. His last real   
contact in the modeling business had retired a few months   
earlier, and the jobs that had once supplemented his   
other income were gone. He couldn't condone taking her   
over to Mako-chan's too many times, even if the tall   
girl told him to do so if things were getting tight.   
No, he never liked taking charity very much, but   
it had been a tough battle between his convictions and   
the cash flow until the manager here had called him. One   
of his old friends and co-workers had recommended him   
to the management of the new place when they were short   
handed. The owners were very particular about the level   
of service and weren't hiring just anybody. It had been   
hard work, but very rewarding financially, and things   
were finally starting to look up.  
The manager had dropped by earlier on his way   
home for the night and handed him an envelope with the   
last three night's pay. He was in the process of adding   
up all his tips for the evening when a low whistle rang   
out as one of the waiters came into the kitchen.  
" Gentleman, I am in love."  
The person making the statement was a well known   
womanizer, not to mention one of the full time waiters. He   
glanced into the mirror by the door to make sure his hair   
was absolutely perfect. One of the busboys slightly   
opened and looked out the doors.  
" No way, Ryo. Not with a lady that classy."  
" Five thousand yen says that I take her home, and   
I'll pay anyone else twice what they bet if I don't," he   
confidently stated, and then looked at Mamoru. " Hey,   
Chiba! They're in your section. Can I serve them, and do   
you want in?"  
" Let me see," he smiled and glanced out the doors.   
Somehow, he kept a straight face as he turned back. " Ryo,   
I've got thirty thousand yen here that says you won't   
even make it to the plate if you'll give me three to one   
odds."  
" Just to make it to the plate? Shit, Chiba. Don't   
make me take your money. I'll ask her out in a second. You're   
on, man," the younger man sneered and stepped out into   
the dining area.  
" Are you crazy?" the cook asked him   
incredulously. " That boy needs a four poster bed for   
all the notches he's racked up."  
" No," Mamoru smiled back confidently. " He won't   
even try anything. Watch."  
It only took a few moments until the now-shaken   
younger man came back into the kitchen.   
" They want you to serve them, Chiba-san," he   
stammered, beginning to blush.   
" And... " he added expectantly.  
" I... couldn't. I expected her boyfriend to   
frighten me off or something, but he didn't even seem   
to notice me. She just looked at me, and I couldn't bring   
myself to say anything. That chick is scary."  
" Hah!" the cook exclaimed in triumph, since he had   
bet against the younger man in hopes of getting the odds.   
" Don't worry, Ryo," Mamoru consoled him before   
going out into the dining area to see what they   
wanted. " You can pay it in installments."  
" Good evening, ladies," he greeted them. " It's   
very nice to see you today. Is there anything I can get   
for you?"  
" Yes," the sandy-haired blonde drawled back at   
him. The leather racing team jacket with the sponsor's   
patches she wore was a splash of daring, stylish color   
among the dull earth tones that were currently in   
fashion. " Your manager."  
" Haruka," he cautioned her. " Don't do this. I   
need this job."  
" You could quite easily buy this entire chain,   
Mamoru-san," Michiru gently reminded him.  
" Look, I don't want your money," he protested.  
Haruka's eyes went cold and she snapped her   
fingers loud enough to get the assistant manager to   
jump up and hurry over to her. She held up a hand to   
stop his inquiry and began to peel off several ten-thousand   
yen notes from a roll of them in her pocket.  
" We're hiring this gentleman here to be our dinner   
companion for the evening. I assume he can be spared from   
his regular duties for the occasion. I also want three   
rib-eyes out here in ten minutes with all of the trimmings,   
and tell your cook he had better live up to the standards   
of the first one of these places in Texas. I eat there   
whenever I'm in the area, and the owner is a good friend   
and a sponsor. Any problems?" she finished coldly,   
dismissing him with her eyes.  
" No, sir," he stammered and fled back into the   
safety of the kitchen.   
" Mamoru-san, please, sit down," Michiru asked   
and slid over to make some more room for him. He did so,   
but warily. This looked to be another of their recent   
disagreements. They were always too polite towards him   
for it to be called a fight.  
" It's not 'our' money, Mamoru," Haruka began,   
meeting his gaze. " It belongs to both of you. We're   
just the trustees."  
" And you can keep on doing that," he cut in. " Usagi   
said she'd ask for it if she needed it, and I don't want it."  
" No, Michiru," Haruka cut off the turquoise haired   
woman as she began to speak, and then looked back at the   
young man and caught his gaze. " We've been nice to you   
for long enough. It's been six months, Mamoru. Six months   
since we almost lost her. That's enough of a vacation. It's   
time you started properly doing your part in protecting her."  
" What!" he hissed, unconsciously bending the heavy,   
silver spoon he had been slowly twirling between his   
fingers. Michiru put her hand over his as he began to   
stand up and call her out. She took the utensil from his   
hands and put her other hand on his forearm to reassure   
him.   
" Mamoru-san," she implored him, waiting for the   
flush of anger to fade from his face. " We've told you   
what we found. We can't do anything with any of the books.   
We tried. Ami-chan can almost detect it on a regular basis,   
and I'm only a little better. We use magic somehow, but   
we can't manipulate it. You're the only one of us who can."   
He sighed heavily, keeping his thoughts to himself   
for the next several minutes until the food arrived. Ami   
and Michiru had been very determined after their encounter   
with the magi to find out just what they all could do, and   
exactly how they did it. They'd drawn a blank, even with   
finding a cache of books related to the subject that were   
in one of Setsuna's homes.   
It had been during that time that while fighting the   
magi that he began to experiment more with his own   
abilities, and found out that he had much more control   
than the Senshi. He had been meaning to help them more   
in their experiments, but his studies at school, his   
jobs and Usagi had been taking up all his time.  
" We've got a proposal for you," Michiru said   
after they had been served. " You're the only one who   
has a chance of understanding anything in those books.   
You already have the most manifestations of power than   
any of us."  
A puzzled look came across his face. " Me?"  
" Roses, the cane, a ranged attack, two forms,   
and some type of pre-cognitive abilities tied in with   
teleportation," Haruka ticked the examples off on her   
fingers, and then picked up the bent spoon. " No matter   
when or how, you always were there whenever Usagi-chan   
was in trouble. That's magic in anyone's book."   
" What do you want me to do, then?" he asked,   
carefully looking at both of them in turn.   
" We want to hire you, Mamoru. Setsuna wanted all   
of you to be able to go to whatever school you wished   
without having to work at the same time. Therefore, we'll   
take over your tuition, rent and other expenses in exchange   
for your working on figuring out just what you do and how   
you do it."  
" That's basically the same offer I turned down   
before," he said apologetically, and gave them a bleak   
smile. " Why should I accept it this time? I told you I   
don't want your pity."  
Haruka's hand hit his face hard enough to rock him   
back in his seat. It hadn't been a punch, but a stinging   
slap by the back of her left hand. She stood up, eyes   
flashing in anger and looking like she was ready to   
swing on him again as she made a fist of her right hand   
and drew it slightly back. It was several seconds before   
she took a deep breath and let the two pieces of silver   
that were the spoon fall to the tablecloth from her   
right hand.  
" Talk to him, Michiru. See if you can get him to   
start thinking straight. If that doesn't work, I'll try   
hitting him a few more times."  
" You deserved that, you know," Michiru commented   
as she took another bite of her steak while Haruka   
stalked out. A few moments later, the low-pitched roar   
of a sportscar engine sped off into the distance.   
" I won't do it, Michiru. Not when it's being   
offered out of pity. I had to deal with enough of   
that in the orphanage."  
Her soft, easy laughter distracted him from the   
dark mood his thoughts were in. He had an irrational   
need to push back when Haruka pushed him, and she had   
been doing a lot of that recently. Usagi had designated   
the tall woman the tactical leader of the Senshi, and   
Haruka had been quick to try and address her perceptions   
of their shortcomings. She had been especially hard on   
him, in his opinion.  
" Mamoru, we never pitied you," she explained,   
filling the napkin of the spare place setting with some   
ice and handing it to him. " This isn't the two rich   
ones lording it over on you. Haruka and I made a lot   
of money even before we had met Setsuna, but we never   
felt sorry for you because you never had as much.  
" This is about taking care of Usagi, and Haruka   
is scared by what happened. We got lucky again, and   
that's killing her inside. If it hadn't been for   
Minako's sacrifice, you and Rei would be the only ones   
left right now. Hotaru wasn't going to hold back, and...   
well, we won't outlive each other by any great margin."  
" Haruka scared?" he echoed, missing what she   
had just admitted.  
" We're not using to relying on luck, Mamoru," she   
continued after taking a sip of wine and pushing her   
plate several centimeters away. " It worries both of   
us that it came so close to being over. We spent a   
long time getting by on our own when we were dealing   
with the daemons, and she's not used to relying on   
others, or luck. Haruka is also having a problem because   
you don't act as dedicated to the princess as she   
thinks you should be."   
" That's awfully honest but somewhat convoluted," he   
admitted a few moments later.   
The turquoise haired woman carefully thought out her   
next words before continuing. " She doesn't doubt your   
desire to protect the princess, but you don't act as overtly   
as she does in regards to it," Michiru explained a few   
moments later. " Haruka pretends that she isn't hurt by   
what happened, but she spent several nights in tears over   
her feelings of inadequacy after we got Usagi back."  
" And you?" he asked a few moments later. " How do   
you feel?"  
" I'm better at hiding it than she is," Michiru   
smiled at him and took a last bite of the steak before   
taking out her purse and touching up her lipstick. " This   
isn't for us, Mamoru-san. It's not a ploy to make you feel   
bad. We're concerned for her safety, and you're the only   
one who can do this.   
" There have been five golem attacks ever since we   
beat the magi. We can no longer assume that they are all   
gone. Their order has come back from the dead before and   
you are our only hope in learning how to fight them," she   
said, putting one of her hands over his. " Will you work   
with us, so we can do our job of protecting her properly?"  
" All right," he capitulated a few moments   
later. " I'm glad you explained it a little better to   
me. I'm still not fond of doing it this way, Michiru,   
but I'll do it."  
" Thank you," she beamed in gratitude, and then   
got up. He took a quick swallow of coffee and got to his   
feet as well.   
" Do you need a ride?" he offered as they walked   
out to the parking lot. " I may have driven off your   
escort for this evening."  
" That's all right," she smiled and gave him a   
quick kiss on his cheek, the one without the bruise. " It   
is sweet of you to ask, though."  
She pulled her communicator out of her purse. It   
beeped softly as she pressed one of the buttons, and   
she put it back. " She'll be by in a few minutes. It   
was just a matter of letting off some steam. Why don't   
you go on and head home, and we can work everything out   
tomorrow?"  
He was finally persuaded to leave her, and climbed   
into the white and blue AC Cobra that he had been loaned   
by Haruka while his car was in for repairs and a rebuild   
on the engine. With a jaunty salute, he sped off as she   
waved good-bye. He was as bad as Haruka when it came to   
cars, it seemed.  
Her ride pulled into the lot a few minutes later   
and rolled to a stop next to the woman. There was a   
slight click as the lock on the passenger side   
disengaged and she opened the door.  
" Well?"   
" He'll do it," she confirmed, taking a seat in   
the white and yellow roadster.   
" How much did you tell him?"  
" Everything," she confessed. " He won't say   
anything to the others, though. He's too much the gentleman,   
and I needed to use it as a scare tactic. You did cry a few   
times about it, after all."  
" Michiru?" the tall woman asked hesitantly a few   
minutes later as they waited at a stop light. Her voice   
was unusual; a soft, tentative tone that made Michiru   
realize how much something was affecting her. " Next time,   
I want to be the good cop. I don't want them to get to set   
in their feelings about me. I do care about them and how   
they feel."  
" Haruka!" she gently laughed, despite the slightly   
worried look on her companion's face. " It would never   
work, I'm afraid. It would absolutely ruin my own   
reputation for being the sweet, gentle and cultured   
one.  
" Besides, who's going to believe that I would   
hit them?"   
  
  
End - Prologue.  
  
  
************************************************  
  
  
The End of the Beginning.  
  
  
" Here you go, Hotaru-chan," the young woman said,   
setting down the tray that held two cups of steaming   
Oolong tea. Ami waited for her to take one, and then   
picked up the other and gently blew across the surface   
to cool it a bit, enjoying the initial feel of the warmth   
of the tea through the ceramic cup.  
" Thank you, Ami-chan," she replied to the blue   
haired girl with a polite smile. " I still don't know   
why you need to keep on doing this, though."  
" I do it for almost all of us, Hotaru-chan," she   
explained. " We're not precisely the same as everyone   
else, and I need to keep the records in case we ever   
need the medical information."   
" You said almost back there," the raven-haired   
girl said, seizing a potential opportunity with a quick   
smile. " What would it take to be 'almost'?"   
Ami laughed in response, taking a sip of tea   
before putting it down and opening her computer. She   
tapped a few keys and handed it over to the other   
young woman.   
" Hit ENTER, and you'll see what I mean."  
Hotaru did, and watched the computer flash up a   
warning and beep at her in an almost annoyed tone.  
REQUEST SCAN OF SUBJECT: MEIOU, SETSUNA   
REQUEST DENIED   
PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD FROM SUBJECT TO CONTINUE   
" It did that to me anytime I tried to get a recording   
of anything about her," Ami admitted, blushing. " Trust me,   
I tried. I started keeping a medical file on each of us right   
after Usagi-chan and I first met Rei-chan. Setsuna-san   
thought it was a good idea, but wouldn't talk to me about   
why my computer says that every time I tried to scan her."  
" I miss her," the other young woman admitted with a   
sigh.   
" We all do, Hotaru-chan," Ami said, putting a   
reassuring hand over one of the other girl's. " There   
still hasn't been any sign?"  
" No. The financial people keep on getting   
instructions that they say are hers. It's good advice   
as well."  
" That's too bad," Ami responded a few moments   
later. " Chibi-usa still hasn't gotten over finding out   
that the time keys can work without her. She was certain   
that when she got called to return to the future that Pluto   
was back."  
" I know, Ami-chan," she said flatly. " Chibi-usa-chan   
will be back in a few days, too, and her heart will break   
if there still isn't any sign of her. What do you need me   
to do for this, anyway?"  
" Well," Ami started, looking around the sitting   
room of the penthouse suite in one of the three towers   
that overlooked the large, tree-filled park that marked   
the remains of the Infinity Academy. " We should go into   
your room. It will be a lot more private there."  
" We're on the top floor of the tallest building   
for kilometers around," Hotaru laughed. She stood up and   
slipped the plain black dress she wore over her head. " The   
only people who could possible see me would need to be in   
a helicopter, Ami-chan."  
Ami giggled nervously, blushed and took a drink of   
tea. " I guess you're right, but you'll need to take   
everything off, Hotaru-chan. You may have stopped growing   
again, and I need to have the most accurate information   
possible. You're still a unique case."  
" All right," Hotaru replied, managing a small   
grin. " At least you won't try and make me wear one of   
those silly paper robes like my regular doctor will."  
She finished undressing as Ami resolutely kept her   
eyes on her computer screen and began typing, her many   
years of experience offsetting the difficulty of using   
the small keyboard. The scanners were already working,   
compiling another set of statistics in the memory, and   
she pulled up a window with the summary of the last scan   
she had of Hotaru from three months ago.  
" I'm a little surprised that this bothers you,   
Ami-chan," she said, startling the other girl, and then   
risked a mischievous smile. " Don't you want to be a   
doctor?"  
" Well," Ami blushed again and took the   
defensive. " We don't have the normal doctor and patient   
relationship that the medical programs train you for, so   
it does seem a little strange."  
" I'm sorry, then," she replied. " I was never   
really modest after the accident. After the first few   
dozen doctors prod you for a while, you don't care about   
it anymore."  
Ami hazarded a glance at her. " You don't even   
look like it ever happened."  
" I look that way now," Hotaru replied, referring   
to the accident twelve years ago where her mother was   
killed and she was fatally injured. It was only by the   
bargain her father made by selling his soul to Pharaoh   
Ninety that she survived the explosion in the laboratory.   
" Before, most of my major joints were artificial,   
or held together by lots of plastic and metal. Most of the   
larger bones were broken and had pins in them. I used to   
set off the detectors at the airport when we went to the   
orthopedic clinic in Los Angeles for the second and third   
operations. I wore those body suits all the time when we   
first met because the scarring was so bad after all the   
surgeries."  
Ami started to express her condolences when her   
computer beeped at her.  
" This is sickening," she muttered. " I think you   
look like you're about sixteen or seventeen, but in the   
past three months you've put on another twelve centimeters.   
You're already taller than I am, and I don't think you've   
stopped yet."   
" Yes!" the girl exulted, and then reigned in her   
excitement. " I'm sorry, Ami-chan. It's just that I've   
always been the shortest one and Michiru and Haruka are   
so tall. I didn't mean anything by it."  
" That's all right," she responded. " You just   
might catch Michiru at this rate. Can you keep a secret?"  
Hotaru nodded, picked up her underwear and glanced   
at Ami, who nodded in reply before continuing. " Usagi   
has been wearing heels a lot more recently, and I've   
taken to wearing flats most of the time so she won't   
notice. She's the shortest of us now by a total of two   
millimeters."  
" You didn't tell her?" Hotaru asked as she began   
to dress.  
" No," was the reply as Ami set up a new program   
and started it. " It isn't as important to me as it is   
to her. I had gotten just a little bit taller than her   
a while back, and then she caught up and passed me. She   
knows that I'm almost her height, but not that I've   
surpassed it. Would you please change into Sailor Saturn   
now?"  
Astonishment and surprise filled her voice a few   
moments later after Hotaru complied with her request,   
a scepter appearing in her hands and a cascade of purple   
light falling on her from the ceiling.   
" Would you change back and forth a few times?" Ami   
asked, getting a puzzled look on her face. Hotaru did   
as asked, wondering what was wrong.  
" Well?"   
" That's really strange," Ami said a few minutes   
later. " You didn't gain in height or weight when you   
changed."  
" What?"  
Ami took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat,   
motioning for the other girl to join her. Hotaru did so   
after changing back. " Perhaps you didn't notice it   
because you've still been growing so much over a relatively   
short period of time, but we all got a little bigger after   
we first became Senshi. It wasn't much, only about a   
centimeter or so and a kilo or two, but we all changed   
after our first transformation."  
" Mine wasn't really normal, I guess," Hotaru   
admitted, shrugging. " Not with someone else controlling   
my body at the time."  
" We don't really know why it happened," Ami   
continued. " It may be part of why we're different   
from normal people. As Senshi, we're somewhat stronger,   
faster, and so on. The extra height and weight might   
just be the changes to our skeletal structure and   
musculature that enables us to do that."  
" That must have been fun dealing with," she   
quipped. " I guess it was time for a new wardrobe, huh?"   
" You don't know just how much fun it was," Ami   
dryly replied. " Ever wear a bra that was just a little   
too small?"  
Hotaru winced at the thought, causing Ami to   
laugh at her reaction before going back to her   
explanation. " When I first became Mercury, I was   
about a total of two centimeters taller than I had been   
a week before that. I had been measured for a physical   
as part of my transfer to another new school, so I knew   
my height quite well. The rest of us had pretty much the   
same results. We all gained a little bit permanently, and   
a little more on top of that when we transform.  
" I'm one of the least noticeable ones, with Mako-chan   
and Haruka-san being at the other end of the spectrum.   
They're physically a lot stronger than I am, though, so   
that could be part of the reason."  
Hotaru went pale at the pleased look that came over   
Ami's face after that statement and unconsciously leaned   
away from her on the couch.  
" Hotaru-chan," Ami sweetly asked. " You do have   
a private gym on this floor, don't you?"  
" Yes," she nervously replied.  
" That's wonderful," Ami almost purred, rising   
to her feet. " I was looking for something to occupy   
my mind today, and I just realized that you gave me a   
new puzzle to try and figure out. I want to get some   
idea of how strong you are now and when you're Sailor   
Saturn, among a few things. Treadmills and weights to   
begin with, I believe.   
" I may have had a problem acting like a doctor a   
few moments ago, but I'm great at being a research   
scientist."  
  
************************************************  
  
The conditions that night were some of the nicest   
she had seen in a long time, and she was glad that he had   
asked her to accompany him this evening. She slipped from   
one shadow to another, carefully avoiding making a sound.   
There was only a little bit of light from the stars right   
now, so it was a nice change of pace. The hunting in the   
park near Usagi's didn't have nearly the challenge that   
this place had, and the artificial lights made it so   
easy some times.   
A gleam of silver ahead of her was Artemis doing   
much the same as she, although he had gotten to be   
slightly better than her at night work. His coat made   
him use more care and skill in planning his approach.   
She had realized that she had gotten sloppy one time   
they were playing hide and seek a few months ago to   
keep their skills honed.   
Despite her coloring giving her a distinct advantage   
at night, she had been spotted more times than he and had   
been the loser that evening. That was why they were now   
prowling the slopes of the hill by the shrine. The thick   
undergrowth was a natural haven for their prey and would   
give her many opportunities to practice.  
He had stopped and was slightly tensed. She saw   
his ears twitch forward, indicating he had spotted   
something. Automatically, she swung out to circle   
around on his right and get herself in position. She   
was the one who needed the practice here, and he   
understood that.   
Whatever it was, it had no idea that she was   
here. The rustling continued as she crept forward. She   
stepped over a dry twig, and carefully avoided some   
brittle leaves until she was in the position she   
desired. Mouse, she realized, catching the scent as   
the breeze swung a little more towards her.   
It only took a few more minutes. She had the   
patience that a regular cat couldn't match and her prey   
soon moved in closer to her. The mouse couldn't see her   
in the dim light and she wasn't moving. The kill was   
almost anti-climactic.  
" Good stalk," he said as he walked up to her. She   
shrugged and let the mouse go. It sat in shock for a few before scampering away into a tuft of grass. They   
both tensed instinctively, preparing for the chase, and   
then smiled at their reactions.  
" It wasn't much of a challenge," she sniffed and   
examined one of her paws.  
" It should never be a challenge," he replied,   
sitting down next to her. " Your instincts are still   
there, Luna. You're just out of practice."   
" You would be if you had my job," she added   
somewhat defensively. He flinched slightly at that,   
and she realized what she had implied. " I'm sorry,   
Artemis. I didn't mean... it's just that she's still   
so much work for me."  
" I know," he sighed and leaned against her a   
little bit. " I have a lot more free time now, and   
some nights it is very nice to be able to let instincts   
take over for a while and not have to remember."  
" I know," she whispered. " I miss that, too."   
" I told you I could take some of your nights for   
you."  
" I... she's still such a handful that I really   
wouldn't feel right doing that. Sometimes I feel that   
she'll never grow up."  
" You've done a good job, dear," he added and   
began to groom her behind the ears, right where he knew   
she liked it. " Usagi is a light that only shines in the   
darkest hours."  
" And to think that I wondered just where Minako-chan   
came up with all that horrible dialogue that Usagi-chan   
copied," Luna teased him before getting serious. " She's   
having a tougher time accepting it right now. Usagi has   
been very upset ever since Minako-chan saw her changing.   
She almost tried using the crystal last night to bring   
her back."   
" Baka," he growled softly. He got up and began   
to walk up towards the top of the hill. " I could have   
told her that it won't work."   
" Artemis," she called out in a shocked voice   
as she followed him. " You mean to tell me that-"   
" What would you expect?" he whispered so quietly   
she almost didn't hear what he said. She could, however,   
easily feel the pain in his voice. " Yes, I tried to   
reach her mind. She was as much my daughter as Diana   
will ever be. She was my friend, Luna.  
" I snuck in to see her the first night and almost   
put my entire soul into her in an effort to find out what   
happened. I still couldn't find her. I've done the same   
thing every couple of months on the hope that we've   
somehow gotten lucky.   
" That girl looks like her and smells like her,   
but we still can't prove that it is the Minako we knew.   
There's no sign of Minako. I can't even find any sign of   
Venus anymore."  
" Oh, no!" she exclaimed. " Artemis, I'm so sorry.   
Why didn't you tell us?"  
He sighed as they reached the actual grounds of   
the shrine but didn't answer her right away. Phobos and   
Deimos didn't even stir from their perch as the cats   
walked by them after climbing a tree en route to a warm   
spot on the roof near the chimney. It was only after   
they had curled up in a ball together that he went on.  
" I may have been wrong, Luna, and I couldn't...   
couldn't bring myself to break her heart like that."  
" That's true. It has been tough enough for Usagi   
with Minako-chan being gone, let alone the chance that   
it might be permanent, " she replied, remembering the   
scene on the chartered Learjet after Usagi had been seen   
off by Minako's parents. Usagi, along with Michiru, Haruka   
and the two cats were supposed to be going to Europe to   
see the girl who was being hired to be Minako's double   
on the volleyball tour. The strain of having to imitate   
Minako and deal with her parents left Usagi so   
emotionally drained that she had collapsed as soon   
as the doors closed.   
Michiru took her into her arms and got her onto   
the plane's couch. Usagi wasn't wailing like she usually   
did when she cried. This was a quiet sobbing that just   
wouldn't stop until she fell asleep a few hours later.   
The two women diverted the plane to Okinawa and took   
Usagi to a private resort for some time to recover and   
regroup. The two cats, along with Haruka, flew back   
later that night in order to bring Mamoru to Usagi. She   
also took the opportunity to do a light mind-touch on   
Usagi's family so they wouldn't miss her for a few weeks   
since the black cat was the most familiar with them.  
" Her mother would be proud of her," he added a   
few moments later. " I think that we've done a good job."  
" I think so, too," she replied before resting   
her head on him and closing her eyes for a brief   
catnap. He was only too glad to join her, and for some   
time the only sounds were the branches rustling in the   
light breeze.  
  
***********************************************  
  
A small noise woke the child up in the darkness of   
the early morning. She stirred and looked up before   
breaking into a grin as she recognized the visitor. The   
child didn't make a sound, though. She had learned that   
the other one would leave if she began to cry out. The   
mark on her forehead began to softly glow, giving   
everything in the room a pale, golden tint that matched   
the child's hair.  
" That's very good, little one," the woman whispered,   
picked up the child and made her way to a seat on the sofa   
by the window. A hand was gently laid over the glowing   
sigil as another appeared in response, glowing in a   
luminescent violet on the woman's head. The child's   
faded after a few minutes.  
" You're not needed right now, sweetheart. Rest   
while you can."  
She always liked this view from this particular   
house. The city lights and the darkness of Tokyo Bay   
were a wonderful contrast and she used to spend a lot   
of time here just looking at them. This was even better   
now, she admitted to herself. It had been so long since   
she had been able to do this.  
The others were like her children in some ways, or   
her younger sisters in an extended family. She had helped   
raise almost all of them over the years, even the one she   
now held. She had long since lost track of how many hours   
had been spent like this in the early mornings of the past   
in the castle on the moon, holding one of them and looking   
up at the blue orb that loomed above them.  
Her voice wasn't used to singing this softly and   
threatened to break a few times, but she quietly crooned   
a lullaby that hadn't been heard for over a thousand   
years. The last time she had sang other than this was one   
time just after meeting the first of the others here, when   
she had walked in on them while they were playing music   
together. She knew the words, of course. It was her help   
that enabled the composer to finish the piece all those   
years ago.  
The other two had been startled, but continued   
playing as she took over the role of the singer from   
Haruka, and put her heart into it as a remembrance of   
the glories that she had seen go by and the brilliance   
of a young prodigy. They almost applauded as she finished,   
but that would have spoiled the moment. They also wanted   
her to continue performing with them, but she had   
declined the invitation.  
Her song tonight had the same effect on the   
girl that it did in a previous life, and the child   
was asleep in a few minutes. The woman was almost   
surprised that she remembered the lullaby since it   
had been so long ago. In a way, the others had it   
easier. They didn't have to live through everything   
like she had to, but had simply slept through a   
thousand years.  
No, they had it much easier, and on some days the   
load was harder for her to bear than on others. The years   
weighed heavily on her right now, and two lines of tears   
silently made their way down her face.  
The faintest of pressures on her shoulder made her   
look up in surprise. The translucent form of a woman   
stood before her. She had long, golden hair that reached   
to her waist, a fuku of white and orange with a blue bow,   
and her eyes were very sad, but also sympathetic. This   
ghost knew something of her pain, she realized, and she   
stood to properly greet her.  
A thought silently changed her clothes to match   
the style of the other's, a matching fuku but in a   
black that seemed to absorb the light where the spirit   
was in glowing orange. She nodded once, silently. Words   
were not necessary.  
Another figure appeared in the room. She was also   
not fully there; a diaphanous, young woman who was just   
a little shorter than the first apparition. She had   
short, shoulder length black hair and her clothes   
matched the others, but in purple with dark red ribbons.   
The newcomer came over and embraced the woman,   
melting into nothingness as she did so. She should have   
been sad at her departure, but was refreshed in spirit.   
The other one stepped forward as well. An insubstantial   
hand stroked the child's hair once, and then she felt   
the comfort that the embrace should have brought as   
the image dissolved at her touch.  
She wasn't alone, she realized, her mood brightening   
somewhat. They did remember her, and understood her duty   
and the demands it made on her.  
" Thank you," she softly spoke and put the child   
back into the crib. The blankets were carefully tucked   
back in and she gave her a soft kiss on her forehead   
before standing up straight. A staff appeared in her   
hand, the gem at the top glowing a soft red, and she   
vanished just before the door opened to admit a sleepy   
young woman who stifled a yawn as she went in to check   
on the child.   
Her hair bobbed around her neck as she bent over   
the crib, it's black color and cut an exact copy of that   
of one of the spirits who had been in the room a few   
moments before. The young woman yawned again and went   
back to bed, still trying to figure out what had awoken   
her a few moments ago if the child was asleep.  
  
**********************************************  
  
The calm night at the shrine didn't last long. The   
crows started screeching at the same time the cats both   
heard a fearful cry ring out from inside the shrine   
building.   
" Rei!" Luna called out, realizing that the voice   
was too high pitched to be either of the men there. Two   
lights came on downstairs and they could hear a pair of   
footsteps going up the stairs. Artemis was in motion   
already, scampering around the rooftop until he was   
outside of Rei's window. Luna was right behind him.   
They could see the door inside burst open as   
Yuuichiro came through with Rei's grandfather in hot   
pursuit. The girl herself was sitting upright in bed   
with the covers tangled around her legs and waist. They   
found that her eyes were wide and unblinking when the   
older man threw the light switch.  
" Rei-chan!" Yuuichiro called out to her and gently   
shook her by the shoulders. His intentions were good, but   
it still didn't prevent her grandfather from pitching him   
out the door for approaching her in such a state of   
relative undress.   
" Make some tea, son," he called out over his   
shoulder, flashing a brief smile of gratitude at the   
younger man to let him know he wasn't in the wrong for   
what he had done. They could see that while the priest   
was concerned, he wasn't in a state of panic.   
" Rei-chan," he softly called to her in a soothing   
tone of voice. His hands pressed against the sides of   
her head at the temple while he intoned a low chant   
that reminded the cats of the mantra the girl used   
with her wards. The girl shuddered and relaxed,   
slumping against him for support.   
" Thank you, ojii-san," she said a few minutes   
later.   
" A vision?" he asked. " You came out of the   
dream in a trance state."  
" Another vision," she admitted. A knock at the   
door kept her from saying anything more. She   
straightened the sheets and pulled them up around   
her chest as he got up to open the door. Yuuichiro   
came in with the tea and a look of concern on his   
face that was mirrored on the two outside.  
" Are you all right, Rei-san?" he asked, his   
concerns and the presence of the priest making him   
use a more respectful form of addressing her. She   
nodded at him and gave him a warm smile when he handed   
her the tea.   
" Could we talk about it in the morning?" she   
asked before her grandfather could ask her to explain   
what she had seen. " I want... I need to meditate and   
clear my mind before I start to forget anything about it."   
" I'll go tend to the fire," Yuuichiro said,   
moving to leave. Her grandfather nodded his agreement,   
but she could see his concern. He turned down the   
corridor and the younger man began to close the door.  
" Thank you, Yuu-chan," she softly said, getting   
a smile back from him. The door finished closing and   
she heard a muffled cry from the hallway, and her   
grandfather beginning one of his tirades about the   
boy being too familiar with his granddaughter as   
they went down the stairs. He did tend to be very   
conservative in regards to their dating and their   
relationship, but she also knew that he was hiding   
a smile behind his mustache. The priest had gotten   
fond of the young man over the years.   
The scratching at the window roused her. She   
opened it, and was rather surprised when two cats   
jumped in instead of the birds she had expected. Artemis   
blushed and politely turned away from her. Luna   
affectionately smacked him in the back of the head   
and muttered something about his being a peeping tom   
while Rei blushed as well. She slid on a robe and tied   
the sash before sitting back down on the bed.   
" Are you all right, Rei-chan," Luna quietly   
asked. " What's this about visions?"  
" I had the first one about two months ago," she   
admitted. " I'd wake up and have this grave sense of   
foreboding, but I couldn't remember seeing the cause."   
" And it was worse tonight?" Artemis ventured. The   
girl nodded before taking a drink of the tea. She held   
up a hand to them and spent a few minutes composing her   
thoughts before continuing.   
" We've been studying astronomy in my science   
class at school. The sun is supposed to eventually cool   
off for a long time before partially collapsing and going   
nova. It will blow off most of it's outer layers a few   
billion years from now. This will destroy most of the   
inner planets, by the way," she nervously added, grimacing   
despite trying to smile and make it a joke.   
" It didn't happen in the future like it was   
supposed to in my dream. It was happening now. The final   
winter came. Everything was freezing, and we... we all   
died."  
  
************************************************  
  
" Thanks for waiting, Usagi-chan," she said, still   
slightly out of breath from running to the recently   
opened cafe from the bus stop.  
" It was no problem," she replied as she looked   
up from the cup of Darjeeling tea she was nursing   
along. " I'm glad you could make it today."  
Naru smiled as she sat down in the other seat   
of the corner booth, marveling at the changes she had   
seen over the past year and a half. While she had only   
been about ten minutes late, the Usagi she used to know   
would have had the table covered with empty ice cream   
soda glasses by now, or some other calorie-laden   
concoction.  
" You know, she admitted, glancing around to   
make sure that none of the other patrons of the cafe   
could hear them. " It is kind of ironic that you chose   
this place to meet today."  
" Huh?" she blurted as a confused look came   
across her face.  
" It is called Cafe Luna, silly," Naru smiled,   
her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Usagi blushed   
in relief before she could prevent it, and then felt   
a little pang of loss at seeing the green bow holding   
back Naru's reddish-brown hair. She recalled a similar   
red one that someone else used to wear who also had   
blue eyes and smiled a lot.  
" Why do you say that?" she asked, still hoping   
that the conversation wouldn't go in a certain way.   
Sometimes, she had this eerie feeling that Naru knew   
more than she was letting on. It wasn't entirely   
explained by the fact that her boyfriend was the vital   
cog in the rumor mill, either.  
" Your cat," she commented, and Usagi breathed a   
sigh of relief.  
" Any word from that college?" she asked, hoping   
to change the subject.  
" That's part of what I wanted to talk to you   
about," Naru began, pouring herself a cup of tea and   
browsing through the menu for a moment, and then   
catching the waiter's eye so they could place their   
orders.  
" We got our acceptance letters from Nekomi Tech   
yesterday, although it is still conditional on our   
finishing high school, if you want to call going in   
just for homeroom every morning the equivalent of high   
school."  
" Naru!" she gasped, feeling happy for her   
friend. " I'm so glad for you! You both really wanted   
to go to the same university, and he's had that one in   
mind since grade school."  
" I know," the brunette smiled back. " The extra   
credits we got from taking the summer classes allowed   
us to finish most of our schooling and take the   
entrance exams a semester early. I put in for their   
business program so I can help my mom, and Umino is   
going for the computer courses.   
" We met this really nice exchange student when   
we toured the campus last week, and she and Umino got   
along really well. They were speaking in Greek, for all   
I knew while they talked about computers and stuff, but   
he thinks that we'll do well there. Can you believe that   
the auto club already is already trying to get him to   
sign up with them to help computerize their latest   
project?"  
" He doesn't even have a driver's license yet," she   
protested, heartily laughing all the while. " I'm glad   
that you got accepted, but I'm going to really miss you.   
Nekomi is on the other side of Tokyo, and you've already   
said that you want to move into a place near the   
university you went to."  
" I know, Usagi-chan. We won't be able to see   
each other as much for a little while, but you're going   
to be awfully busy yourself. You still have the last   
semester to finish up and your entrance exams to take.   
You're going to be eighteen in a few months and you   
need to get some idea of what school you want to go   
to."  
" I need to make it through this one first," she   
moaned. " Haruna-sensei has finally gotten over her   
surprise at the change in my grades and is getting her   
revenge for the principal assigning her to every class   
as I progressed to it."  
" The other teachers were afraid of you,   
Usagi-chan," Naru giggled. " Haruna-sensei is just   
paying the price for complaining about you so much to   
the other teachers."  
" She'll be the end of me!" they both intoned in   
unison in a near-perfect imitation of the teacher they   
had in their first two years of high school before   
breaking into easy laughter together. The waiter came   
by at that time to drop off their meals, and they were   
quiet for a few minutes as they began to eat.  
" Thank you," Naru said suddenly after releasing   
a deep sigh. " I've been a nervous wreck trying to   
figure out how to approach you on it, but I did want   
to thank you."  
" Excuse me?"   
" Usagi," she began, clearly not using the -chan   
suffix she always used when talking to her in order to   
emphasize the seriousness of what she was about to say   
and the closeness of their relationship. " I know,   
Usagi. I've known for quite some time about who you   
also are."  
" Naru-chan," she stammered, letting her fork slip   
from her fingers and clearly at a loss for words. Naru   
reached out and took Usagi's hands in her own.   
" I used to be mad about what happened, and that   
you didn't tell me. We've been the best of friends since   
the third grade, and then everything changed after you   
got Luna almost four years ago. Suddenly, you didn't have   
the time for me, it seemed. You had a bunch of new   
friends, and I figured that was the end of it. People   
sometimes just drift apart as life goes on.  
" Then, out of the blue, you wanted back into my   
life like everything was back to the way it used to be.   
That went on for nearly a half a year, and then you're   
gone again and running around with Ami-chan and   
Mako-chan. The funny thing was that you had been so   
close so suddenly, and all three of you seemed to have   
forgotten about each other at the same time, and then   
remembered about your previous friendship at the same   
time."  
She held up a hand to forestall Usagi's protests   
and took a sip of water.  
" It finally clicked, Usagi. I don't know why it   
took so long, but I suddenly realized what was going   
on with you a couple of years ago, and then I realized   
the truth about the rest of them once I thought about   
it for a little while. Wherever you were, she would   
show up."  
" I'm sorry, Naru-chan. I don't know what to say."  
" I won't tell anyone, Usagi," she went on with a   
little smile. " Not even Umino. I realize how much you've   
had to do to protect so many people as well as us, and I   
don't hold it against you for not telling me. I'm just   
glad that you've taken the time over the last two years   
to spend some more time with me, and to not just let   
our friendship die. It really means a lot to me, although   
I wish you would let me help you with what's been   
bothering you so much the last week. I know you well   
enough to see that you're hiding something."  
" In for a penny," she sighed heavily, and fished   
her wallet out of her purse. She flipped it open, took   
out a picture and handed it over to Naru. " Do you   
remember Minako-chan?"  
" Yes," she said, looking at the picture of the   
little girl. " She went to Europe to go to school, didn't   
she? This is the baby that Michiru-san and Haruka-san   
adopted, though."   
" No," she forced the words out past the   
pain. " That's not right. She died almost two years   
ago, Naru-chan. She gave up her life to save mine. We   
think she was reborn as that child, but we don't have   
any way of knowing for certain."  
" Usagi-" she began, slipping around in the booth   
and putting a comforting arm around her friend.  
" That's not all, though," she interrupted and   
sniffled, trying to hold back the tears that were welling   
in her eyes. " She's really bright and quickly learned all   
of our names. She saw me transform one day last week. I   
wasn't thinking and did it in front of her. Now, she's   
changed in how she acts towards me. I was her favorite   
one, and now she doesn't even remember my name anymore."  
A sob finally escaped from her as she began to   
tremble. " She calls me Serenity."  
Naru blinked in confusion, not knowing what Usagi   
was referring to, but the pain her friend was feeling was   
obvious. She gathered her into her arms to console her,   
and held Usagi while she half-heartedly tried to pull away.  
" No... can't cry," Usagi managed between the sobs   
she was trying to suppress. " I have to be strong. She   
gave me another chance and I have to be strong this time."  
" Silly girl," Naru gently scolded her as the dam   
broke and the tears began to roll down her face. She   
pulled her head down onto her shoulder and patted her   
gently on the back. " You can't hold everything in like   
that, Usagi-chan. Just let it out, and then we can talk   
about it. We've got plenty of time, and you can tell me   
all about it."  
  
************************************************  
  
The bell rang, signaling the end of classes for   
the day and causing a stampede for the doors. What she   
would do next was mainly done just to annoy Sister   
Agnes. The old nun had been a monster towards all of   
them recently, and she just couldn't take it anymore.  
Her locker was just outside the room that the   
old prune taught in during the last period, and she   
also knew that the teacher would be just beyond the   
doors to the walkway outside right now, trying to get   
the other girls to behave in a more dignified fashion.   
Fat chance of that on a Friday afternoon in early April   
when the sun was in the sky, boyfriends were out there   
to be found and a vacation loomed ahead.  
Fishing the denim shorts out of her locker, she   
slid them on underneath her skirt and stepped out of   
the lower half of the uniform of Thomas Aquinas school   
for girls. Her top came off next, revealing the T-shirt   
she wore underneath it to combat the overachieving   
air-conditioner in the new building that nearly made   
her last two classes the equivalent of a winter   
wonderland.   
She didn't like the cold in that building and   
dressed accordingly, all the while considering throwing   
a curse on the ancestors of whichever dirty old priest   
came up with the school uniform. Being forced to wear   
a short skirt in winter wasn't easy, not when you   
preferred the heat of summer. The spring weather was   
the most variable, however. It would be warm outside,   
freezing inside and difficult to adjust to the change.  
The garments went into her backpack along with the   
uniform shoes. She stepped into her sneakers and ran out   
the doors, passing the old nun in a blink of an eye.  
" Good-bye, Sister Agnes!" she called out cheerfully,   
scandalizing her teacher and sending her into a fit of   
spluttering about the degradation of morals in this age   
and what a proper young lady should be wearing. She   
herself was far too respectful of other religions to   
insult them, but nothing in the Shinto precepts taught   
to her by her grandfather said anything about poking a   
little fun at a fractious old nun who thought that the   
ideal career for her students was joining a nunnery.   
Some of the other girls there had a good laugh at   
the expense of the teacher as Rei  
continued running out the gates and down the low   
hill. Her conditioning let her keep up the brisk pace   
and to just make it past St. Andrew's before the bell   
rang there. She liked the attention from the boys there   
at her school's affiliate, but she wasn't in the mood   
right now to fend off some of her ardent admirers. By   
the time the boys got out of class and off the school   
grounds she was two blocks away and around a corner.  
Assured of having a peaceful time the rest of the   
way home, she slowed her pace to a steady walk and window   
shopped at a few of her favorite stores as she went by. Her   
wardrobe needed a few new things, anyway, and she liked to   
get out and see the displays of the new merchandise. She   
hadn't the opportunity to do much of that recently.  
A number of things had made her very busy recently.   
She had taken one of the preparatory classes for her   
university entrance exams despite Ami's offer of help. Ami   
was a wonderful friend but wouldn't be as hard on her as   
she needed someone to be at times.   
Things were also looking up between her and   
Yuuichiro. Somewhere, the ice had broken between them.   
She didn't know when or where it had occurred. Their   
relationship was also a slow one to develop. It wasn't   
easy going from being friends with someone to becoming   
lovers, which was what it seemed to be heading towards.   
Between these things and her duties as a Senshi,   
she had been very busy, indeed, but she decided that   
she felt good enough today to take a little detour. Going   
through the mall up ahead would add a few blocks to her   
trip, but she didn't mind. The shop would be open.  
The mall she turned into was an old one and an old   
design. The newer malls were practically glass enclosed   
cities with wide streets. This one was open to the sky   
and almost narrow, and it only covered the distance   
between the two streets. Some food vendors had set up   
carts, resulting in a delicious smell and an almost   
tangible warmth that the new malls lacked. The shops   
and their customers had been here for a long time in   
most cases, and she simply liked it better here.  
She darted into one shop and poked her head around   
the corner into another. The proprietor of the one she   
was in smiled at the game that was played out about once   
every two weeks. The clerk at the music store was helping   
some grungy looking guys in the drum section, so she   
slipped around the corner, went in and sat down at the   
bench of the organ by the entrance.  
The functions of the switches had already been   
memorized, and her fingers flew over the two banks above   
the twin keyboard. They pressed down a few keys and lifted   
several others. The organ hummed a little as it warmed up,   
and then the thunderous opening of the movement filled up   
the store. Even the rockers turned, impressed by the power   
of the piece despite it's classical origin, and listened   
until she had finished.  
" That was excellent work," said an older man who   
had come out of the office in the back of the store as   
she played. " It will, however, take more that cutting   
off several opening bars or so of that one to fool me,   
my dear.   
" That was from Gustav's 'The Planets', but your   
selection surprises me. You're more of a Jupiter to me.   
The bringer of jollity, you lighten up my store every   
time you show up, Miss Hino."  
" Jupiter?" she echoed in surprise as she powered   
down the organ and reset the controls. Then she laughed   
aloud. " No, I'm not a Jupiter."  
" Neptune the mystic, perhaps, but anything other   
than the bringer of war," he smiled back. " I'm sure that   
Holst never had you in mind when he wrote that work."  
" I can only hope to be like Neptune," she   
cryptically responded and then laughed again, shaking   
off the sudden somber look that came into her eyes. " I'm   
clearly and definitely Mars, I'm afraid."  
" Well, Miss Mars," he said as he extended a hand   
to help her to her feet. " Are you going to be able to   
get yourself that birthday present you want so much?"  
" I'm close, but not that close. I only have a few   
weeks until the birthday comes around and I'm about two   
months away from saving up for the piano."  
" That's too bad, then. I know how much you want   
that one we have."  
" Yes," she admitted, looking in the direction of   
the upright. She had been saving up for it for over a   
year now. While it would have only taken a word to some   
of her friends to obtain it, she wanted to get it on her   
own.  
The mirrors at the back of the store behind the piano   
revealed something that made her face go pale. She spun   
just in time to see a cascade of auburn hair move out of   
her line of sight and then she was already on her way to   
the door. The owner of that hair had been in the doorway   
when she glanced in the mirror.  
" I'm sorry, Mr. Tomino," she called out over her   
shoulder. " I just saw someone I needed to talk to. I'll   
be back in here soon!"  
It only took her a few moments to reach the walkway   
and begin to run in the direction the other woman had   
taken. The walkway was virtually empty with the exception   
of the sidewalk area about fifty meters away. The only   
ones near her a mother and her two young children. She   
slowed to a stop.  
A loud sigh escaped her lips as she blankly walked   
towards the street in order to have a look around even   
though she knew that she wouldn't see her there. The wall   
to her right got an accusing stare from her.  
Ghosts were supposed to be able to go through   
walls, and she had seen a ghost a few moments ago. It   
had been nearly two years since anyone had seen that   
girl who was in the mirror. A whisper escaped her   
without really being noticed.  
" Hamaji."  
  
  
***********************************************  
  
" Do you feel it, too?"   
Haruka looked up as a shadow fell across her. She   
shivered despite the fact that it was a pleasant morning   
and she was wearing a shirt and slacks.   
" Yes."  
" The seas are troubled, Haruka," Michiru said as   
she sat down next to her on the towel. Michiru had   
wanted to go swimming in the ocean in order to clear   
her mind, so they had driven to this resort late last   
night. They only had gotten a few hours of sleep but   
they were used to that. Neither of them needed as much   
as a normal person, and they had the beach to   
themselves at this early hour.   
" Just like the wind," the blonde added, glancing   
up. The sun was just rising over the horizon and colored   
the clouds in tones of orange. " It looks calm, but you   
can feel the tension building."  
" Something is going to happen today," Michiru   
replied and began to dry her hair with her towel.   
" Do you still like my hands?" Haruka grinned,   
catching Michiru's and gathering her into an embrace.   
The other woman laughed gently and let herself get   
pulled down onto her partner. The white one-piece she   
wore was still wet and left some damp marks on Haruka's   
shirt.  
" Yes, I still like your hands," she murmured,   
squeezing them and remembering that day when they had   
felt this way before. To their surprise, it turned out   
that they actually had the talismans that they had been   
looking for. Neither had realized it because the   
artifacts were supposed to be in the possession of   
a person with a pure heart. Haruka had said that   
particular morning that she thought her hands were   
dirty, a metaphor for all the things that she had   
done that she felt would have made her unable to have   
the talisman..  
" I like your heart, too," she added, leaning   
over to briefly kiss Haruka. " We'd best be going,   
then. I told Makoto that we'd be at her place by nine   
to pick up Minako-chan."  
" Nine?" she protested, grinning. " That doesn't   
leave me much time to drive all the way back to Tokyo if   
you take the hour you usually do getting ready. You must   
have a lot of faith in my driving."  
" I'm the passenger, aren't I?" she quipped, getting   
to her feet and helping Haruka to hers. They walked up   
the beach and back to the inn with their arms around   
each other.  
  
***********************************************  
  
" That's really weird," she agreed with Usagi as   
they walked through the park. The morning sun made her   
squint a little bit but didn't seem to be bothering the   
blonde. It was probably because Usagi still wasn't used   
to being up so early on a Saturday morning.  
" I know, Mako-chan. Wouldn't you think it was   
strange to see someone who died nearly two years ago?"  
" She didn't die," she commented as she stopped   
to see if there was some way to put down the cover of   
the stroller to shield Minako's eyes against the bright   
light. She shouldn't have even bothered because the child   
was still asleep. " Rei-chan said that she disappeared   
without a trace. What I don't like is the day it   
happened."  
Usagi's face fell for a moment at the reminder   
of that day in June nearly two years ago. She wasn't   
the only one who had died. Makoto had been among the   
vanquished. The child in the stroller was possibly the   
only reason that they were alive this day.  
" Rei feels that it's related to us somehow," she   
explained. " The fire didn't tell her anything conclusive,   
though."  
" I hate this part," the taller young woman growled,   
smacking the fist of her right hand into the palm of her   
left in frustration. " I hate knowing that something is   
going to happen, and not knowing what."  
" Mako-chan," she said as she saw the look on her   
friend's face. She pulled her over to a bench that was   
shaded by a tree and sat her down. " Maybe it will just   
be another golem."  
" I hope so," she suddenly grinned. " I could   
really stand taking out some aggressions out on one of   
them. They're not bright but they are resistant to   
damage."   
They laughed together at her joke and relaxed   
for a few minutes. The child stirred in her sleep and   
the brunette looked in on her again with a smile on her   
face.   
" I owe her a lot, you know,- " she began when   
the blonde interrupted her.  
" Would you have made the same choice that she   
did?" she asked Makoto, indicating the child.  
" Yes, Usagi-chan," she sighed. The other had   
similar conversations with Usagi recently about the   
same subject. It was only a matter of time until she   
got around to asking her this question. " I don't know   
how she did it, but I would have done the same."  
" Why, Mako-chan?" she nearly cried out. " Why   
are you all so eager to die for me?"   
She threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders   
and pulled her against her before going on.   
" I'm not all that eager to die, Usagi-chan.   
Especially not right now. Still, I wouldn't have anything   
now if it wasn't for you, and the others feel the same   
way. If there wasn't any other way to do it, I'd give up   
my life for yours. We all would."  
" Why am I so-" she began to protest when a finger   
was laid across her lips, silencing her.  
" Stop it, Usagi-chan," she said. " You're our   
friend. It's not because you're the princess. You've   
given so much to us over the years that we'd do it in   
order to make sure that you're all right. We want you   
to have some of the happiness that you've given us the   
chance to have. You have to stop dwelling on that,   
Usagi-chan.   
" Enough of this, though. It's too nice today   
for talk like that, and too early."  
She pulled the blonde to her feet and got her   
walking along the path that meandered around the lake   
at the center of the park. There were a few joggers out   
this early in the morning, but the crowds would only   
come a little later in the day. She kept up a flow of   
small talk to keep her occupied and to cheer her up   
until they came to the cart of a street vendor and   
bought two cups of tea.   
" Now, Usagi-chan," she added after they resumed   
their stroll. " Today is supposed to be a special one.   
I want you to cheer up, all right?"  
" All right, Mako-chan," she automatically responded,   
but her eyes took a few minutes to brighten up. It was too   
nice a morning to be down and her natural, sunny disposition   
finally came through. " You're awfully cheerful this   
morning. Did everything go all right last night with   
Hiro?"  
" You mean 'my hero' ?" she giggled at the play   
on words and then got a wistful look on her face. " Yes,   
it did, but he left this morning and won't be back until   
the end of the break. His parents want him to go, and he's   
close with his relatives in Nagasaki."  
" So, would you call your first real date with him a   
success?"  
" Yes, you little matchmaker. We've seen movies   
together a few times before and such, but it was our   
first real date last night. I had a good time."  
" That's great, Mako-chan," she exclaimed. " It   
seems that running into your sempai last month was a   
good thing, then."   
" Oh, yes," she laughed heartily. " I was so hung   
up on him that it was funny, and he made an absolute fool   
of himself that day when he saw me pushing this   
stroller. He was thinking that she was his child,   
and started talking about marriage.  
"I needed that, Usagi-chan. I was able to finally   
see just how much of a fool I was to have done that to   
myself over someone like him. After that, the idea of   
dating other guys didn't seem to be so strange, and I   
wasn't holding anyone up to a false standard that I'd   
built up over the years."  
" I'm really glad, Mako-chan. I'm glad you're   
finally over him."  
The tolling of a church bell in the distance made   
the taller girl check her watch and gasp in surprise.  
" I didn't realize that it was so late! I've got   
to get going, Usagi-chan. The cooking part is done, but   
I'll still have to assemble and pack a lot of stuff. Could   
you wait here a few minutes for Michiru? I told her to   
check the park first before going to my house to pick her   
up."  
" Certainly, Mako-chan," she agreed, nodding her   
head. " Ami-chan and I need to drop by school to see the   
test results, and then I'm free until twelve. I'll see   
you later."  
The brunette scowled at the mention of tests, but   
then gave her a quick smile before running off to her   
apartment. Makoto had volunteered to do a lot of work   
for today and would need the time to get everything   
ready.  
  
************************************************  
  
He glared at the book, but it still refused   
to give up the secrets that it held between it's   
covers. His coffee had grown cold as well. All in   
all, it hadn't been a good morning.   
This library had almost become his second home   
over the last year and a third he had been researching.   
Despite his intentions, the puzzle here had drawn him   
in. He pushed himself backwards, allowing the chair to   
roll back a meter from the desk. His eyes acknowledged   
the size of the room and how many books he still had to   
go through.   
The house was in one of the very affluent   
neighborhoods of Tokyo. Michiru had been the one to   
discover it while going through Setsuna's records. It   
was one of several houses that they didn't know of her   
having and was part of a series of safe-houses. The   
fact that there were two libraries had caught her eye.  
Ami had been called in when they found out what   
the second, smaller library had dedicated to. All of   
these houses had extensive libraries that were mainly   
devoted to reference materials. If you wanted to find   
out just about anything, one of these libraries was   
the place to go. The one in this house had been a   
great deal of help to him.  
The second library here was devoted to works on   
magic. Michiru and Ami had tried and failed to learn   
anything of substance there and had called him in. He   
was the closest they had to someone who could actually   
manipulate magic. The others used it, but they didn't   
know how they did.  
His time had been spent going through all the books   
and he averaged about two to three hours a day on a   
regular basis in addition to going to college. Usagi   
had tried to help him at first until he gently sent her   
away. She meant well, but was a distraction here.  
The selection at the library covered just about   
any comprehensive work in the field for the last three   
hundred years. Most of the authors were fakes or   
charlatans, and only a few were by writers concerned   
with rational analysis of the subject. Some were   
originals and some reproductions, but all of them   
had one distinct drawback.   
The problem was that none of them actually could   
prove that magic existed, let alone use it. His   
conversations with Kunzite when he started had helped   
him to prove his theory about that point. That would   
mean, according to logic, that none of the books could   
help him to learn anything about the subject.  
Unfortunately, there were enough kernels of   
wisdom hidden among the chaff to make him go through   
all of them. His old mentor had been able to guide   
him at first, but it was getting harder to contact   
him as time went on. He calculated he would only have   
a few more conversations with Kunzite until he could   
no longer manage to make the connection between the   
living and the dead.   
Kunzite's power had helped to make the contact   
possible. Jadeite and Zoicite were only reachable a   
few times until their stones didn't react to him anymore.   
Nephrite managed an even dozen. They were only able to   
cover the basics that they taught him long ago, but   
anything was better than the search through the books   
or waiting to remember.  
The book that he was glaring at had a very obscure   
section that hinted at actually having some real meaning.   
He picked up his notes again and studied them, along with   
consulting his database on the computer. Ami would come   
by once a week and do the work involved in setting up the   
cross-referenced system based on his notes that would   
really yield results.   
His watch chimed, reminding him of the hour. He'd   
have to leave in two hours to pick up Usagi and go to the   
park. He stood and stretched for a few minutes before going   
over to the side of the library that held the books he had   
gone through. Something was nagging at him about the book   
on the desk.   
Somewhere on that set of shelves was the clue he was   
looking for. He was getting very close to something   
important but he lacked the piece of the puzzle that would   
let him get a glimpse of the total picture. All he needed   
was a hint of where it was. All he wanted was something   
that would prove him wrong.  
His next decision was almost one of desperation. Ami   
gave him an updated printout of the list of books he had   
covered. Taking it out, he cut it into equal sized pages   
and taped them together into a rough square. Then he   
smoothed it out on top of one of the large tables in the   
middle of the room and climbed up so he was sitting   
cross-legged next to it.   
Several minutes of steady breathing calmed his body   
while his meditative exercises calmed his mind. He slipped   
off the necklace he wore under his shirt. There was a ring   
on it, a plain silver band set with a teardrop shaped   
piece of turquoise.  
The ring was the only thing that he had that   
belonged to his mother in this time. He still couldn't   
remember her actual face. Only the photographs came to   
his mind when he tried. The ring had survived the fire   
that had destroyed everything else in the car.  
He was hoping that it would serve as a link to   
his mother in the past. She had been rumored to have   
the gift of prophecy and he was in need of some kind   
of guidance. Maybe her gift had been passed on to him   
somehow, and he intoned a brief prayer that it be so.   
Closing his eyes, he extended the hand that held   
the chain, letting the ring swing to and fro underneath   
it. He started in a slow, deliberate spiral pattern that   
would bring the ring over each part of the chart.  
A strange feeling made him stop at one point and   
set the ring down. He only opened his eyes long enough   
to make a small mark on the paper with a pen before he   
closed his eyes again. The chart was turned several times   
at random until he had no clear idea which side was   
towards him. After that, he did the same test again.  
It took him ten more minutes to repeat the exercise   
two more times. He'd kept his eyes closed the whole time   
after making that first mark. A bead of sweat dropped from   
his hair, a sign of the effort that the concentration on   
the simple spell had taken from him. He  
didn't yet have perfect faith in this method, but it might   
be a start for him.   
The marks were all on one section of one page, which   
gave him a glimmer of hope that he had done the exercise   
correctly. The names were familiar to him, so he took a   
few of those books down at random to skim over them for   
some hint of why they were indicated.  
The fifth book gave him an idea and a reference to   
one of the books that he hadn't read yet. He took out the   
book that was mentioned and skimmed over it to acquaint   
himself with the contents. He wouldn't have the time to   
read it today, but a mention of a tribe of Australian   
aborigines caught his eye. The practice the book said   
they employed was a new one to him, so he wrote a note   
to put this new book into his queue of ones to be read   
and walked down the hallway to the main library.   
Thick carpets muffled his footsteps as he opened   
the doors and walked to the computer. It only took a   
moment to boot up and give him a list of books that   
had the information he desired.   
The first one was an old book that was first   
published in 1953. The notes on the computer mentioned   
that the descriptions were accurate but that the author's   
conclusions were in question in view of the decisions   
reached in a more recent work. He opened it carefully   
because of the old spine and almost jumped when a slip   
of paper that was yellow with age fell to the floor.  
  
  
Endymion-sama,  
  
Please join me upstairs in the observation room.   
I'd like to speak with you in private.   
  
  
  
  
************************************************  
  
" Hi, Ami-chan!" Usagi called out, waving at   
her friend.  
" Good morning," Ami cheerfully replied. " Are   
you ready to see how you did?"  
" I guess," the blonde grinned. " I've been a   
little nervous about this one, but I think that it's   
been a force of habit for so long to be worried rather   
than actually being worried."  
Ami laughed at the humor in her voice and started   
walking with her to the bulletin board outside the school   
offices. Her sandals tapped out a steady beat on the   
pavement until they took a short cut across the grass.   
" I'm hoping to have broken eighty percent,   
Ami-chan," Usagi said after a few minutes. They would   
have normally gotten the test results yesterday, but   
there was some sort of delay in getting their tests   
graded and the results would go up on a Saturday.   
" That would be great if you did," she smiled.   
Usagi had come a long way in her studies, although Ami   
didn't like to think about the reasons why. This   
turnaround had come in the semester following Minako's   
death. Usagi was doing much better in her classes, but   
her reasons for doing better were a source of worry for   
Ami. She should be studying to make herself better.   
" Hey," she exclaimed, eager to change the   
subject. " There's your new boyfriend."  
" Ami-chan!" Usagi complained. " Shino-san is   
not, I repeat, not my new boyfriend."  
The young man at the board turned and waved as Ami  
giggled. He wore the older style of school uniform in   
black with a high collar rather than the shirt and tie   
that were currently preferred. He had short, black hair   
and was taller than the girls, but not by too much.   
The gossip said that he didn't have many friends   
because of the accident. Shino Takayama had been the   
only survivor of a car wreck that had killed his natural   
parents. Head trauma had robbed him of his memories of   
the time before he was sixteen. He could read and write,   
for example, but he didn't remember going to school to   
learn it. This was his second semester at their school.  
Green eyes were covered with another stigma in the   
minds of most of the students at the school. He wore   
glasses, and while they weren't as bad as the ones like   
Umino wore, they were bad enough. He was considered   
different. Usagi had been one of the few to try and   
befriend him. They got along well with each other and   
even had some classes together.  
" Hi, Shino!" Usagi called out.  
" Hi, Shino-san," Ami respectfully added.  
" Usagi-chan, Ami-chan, " he slightly bowed to   
them, more out of respect than formality. Ami had been   
one of the others that had looked beyond the gossip,   
although a lot of it had been at Usagi's prompting at   
first. He had even reminded Mako-chan of her sempai   
for about a week. " I'm not too surprised at the   
results today."  
" As always, Ami-chan gets to put another notch   
on her pencil case," Usagi drawled, making her friend   
blush. " How'd you do, Shino?"  
" The usual," he admitted. " Good in math and   
science and I flopped in the arts again. I hate those   
subjects. Math has one answer, not all this stuff about   
how you feel and if the teacher happens to agree with   
you today."  
Ami stepped up to look over the lists that showed   
the exams for several subjects and was joined by the   
others.   
" Shino-san," she said. " Second on two of the   
lists isn't just good. That's great work."  
" Ami-chan," he blushed slightly. " Please, don't   
call me that. I'm not used to it and I'd rather my   
friends didn't use it when referring to me. Besides,   
my scores aren't all that great. Great would have been   
beating you out for the top place."  
" All right, Shino," she agreed, still looking   
down the list. She had forgotten about that part. He had   
been adopted by an American serviceman and his wife. Both   
of his parents were fluent in English, but his father had   
some troubles with Japanese. Shino had picked up his   
father's unease with the honorifics being used among   
friends. To him, his using the '-chan' suffix while   
addressing them was a sign of their friendship." Still,   
you did very well on your tests."   
She knew something was up when Usagi started   
getting that little smile on her face. It had started   
showing up as her grades began to improve. Her eyes   
finally found Usagi's scores. They were just a little   
higher on the lists than she had been looking.   
" Usagi!" she yelled as she grabbed and hugged   
her. " An 80.2% average. You did it!"  
" Congratulations," Shino said, clapping the blond   
on the shoulder.  
" I told you, Ami-chan," Usagi exclaimed. " I   
thought I did good on those."  
" She certainly did," Shino added a few moments   
later and began to scan the tops of the lists again   
before muttering under his breath. " Again? This is   
getting silly."  
" I'm sorry?" Ami asked.  
" Here," he explained, pointing at the   
lists. " The spots for numbers four and five are   
held by the same two people again, the same ones   
who have been there for just about every test this   
year in every subject."  
Ami and Usagi looked at the test results with a   
good idea of what they would find.   
4. Michiru Kaioh  
5. Haruka Ten'ou  
" You two know them," Shino asked. " What gives   
here? I know they were a year ahead of us, but there   
is no way that they were held back because of poor   
grades."   
They traded a quick glance that the boy missed.   
" It wasn't academic problems," Usagi hastily   
began. " Almost all of their school records were   
destroyed when their school blew up a couple of years   
ago. They were in an advanced honors program at the   
Infinity Academy  
" When they were going to be placed into the   
regular school system, one of the administrators   
expressed some misgivings about their achievements   
in that advanced classes and whether they had truly   
accomplished what they stated. Michiru and Haruka are   
both very proud, and they demanded that they be   
allowed to repeat the grade that they almost finished   
if the school board had any suspicion that they didn't   
properly earn it. That's why they're in our grade."  
Usagi breathed a quick smile of relief as it   
appeared that Shino had bought the story. Michiru and   
Haruka had been in an advanced class at the Infinity   
Academy that was teaching at two grades above her own,   
it turned out, but they had changed their records and   
forced their new school district to let them into Usagi's   
grade in order to be near her.   
Haruka had been adamant about that after they got   
back together following the fights against the magi,   
regardless of the difficulties. They didn't even seem   
to mind that they were repeating old material. Since   
they could easily do the homework, it gave them more   
time to help take care of Minako, and allowed Hotaru   
to only have to take care of the girl during school   
hours.   
" That was the school in the middle of that new   
business district, the Mugen Delta, right? Did they   
ever figure out what happened?" the boy asked.   
" Gas main," she and Ami said in unison and then   
blushed at their timing. That had been the most plausible   
explanation for the destruction of the Infinity Academy.  
" Takayama!" a deep voice yelled out suddenly,   
making them jump in surprise. A group of four of the   
school's baseball players were gathered around them. The   
other three students there were moving away from the   
coming confrontation.   
" Let me guess," Ami said with a sinking feeling.   
She'd been on the receiving end of their threats   
before. " He ruined the grading curve for your class?"  
" Hey," Kawaguchi, the oldest, added. " Guess   
who's here as well. It's little Ami Mizuno."  
" Good," another rumbled. " I can make sure she   
regrets that perfect score in chemistry last year. I   
didn't get to play because of her."  
" Stop it!" Usagi yelled, springing in between   
Ami and one reaching for her. He sneered at her and   
shoved her back. She stumbled and fell into the wall   
by bulletin board. Her head hit the wall and   
everything went black.  
  
***********************************************  
  
He spent several minutes considering the note   
itself, let alone the implications of the message. The   
paper was clearly older than he was. All the time in   
the library had made him into something of an expert on   
old paper. It was a heavy sheet of a quality that you   
just didn't get today, regardless of the expense. The   
watermark was of a company that had probably gone out of   
business years ago. The ink was even translucent.  
The faded writing was another hint of something   
being amiss. It was handwritten English, which   
automatically excluded any of the Inner Senshi from   
reading it. Ami might be able to decipher it given some   
time or her computer, and Minako was too young. That   
meant that the people who might run across the note and   
understand it were either himself or the Outer Senshi.   
Hotaru had gotten a good grasp of the language since   
starting to learn it a year ago while Haruka and Michiru   
could pass as natives of several countries.  
Some other concerns were put aside as he decided   
to check this out. He knew the room that the note referred   
to. The house was done in a style that imitated a famous   
mansion in America, even down to the small sitting room at   
the highest point of the roof. He and Usagi had spent quite   
a bit of time up there enjoying the view and getting very   
close to doing some of the things that they had generally   
agreed to wait until she turned eighteen to do again.  
He checked the security system as he went to the   
stairs leading up to that room and found the alarms still   
enabled. That was how he had set them after coming in this   
morning to start working. Taking a deep breath, he started   
up the stairs and into the room at the top.  
All four walls had large windows that gave a   
remarkable view of the hills and the city below. There   
were four chairs, two couches, one coffee table and one   
occupant in the room. He stopped and silently stared in   
shock despite the clues that indicated that it was her.  
" Your Majesty," she greeted him, inclining her   
head and making her dark green hair shimmer in the   
morning sunlight. She wasn't wearing her fuku. Instead,   
she was clad in a sharp looking, dark pink jacket and   
long skirt with a white blouse and boots. As usual, it   
looked great on her and was a good complement to her   
hair and skin color. " Please, won't you be seated?"  
" Setsuna," he stammered, sitting down   
automatically. " We... We thought you were dead."  
" I'm not," she admitted a moment later and   
poured him a cup of tea from the service on a platter   
on the table. " I don't even know if I can. That isn't   
important, though. I need you to promise something to   
me before we go any further."  
" I'll try," he cautiously replied.   
" Actually," she continued. " Two things. First,   
you need to promise me that you won't tell any of the   
others about this conversation for several days. Nobody.   
Not even Usagi-chan."  
" I'm sure you have your reasons and believe their   
validity," he said. " I can agree with that for the   
moment."  
" That's good," she said and then broke into a   
smile, one of the few times he had ever seen her do   
it. " Now, here's the important part. I want you to   
stop moping about today. Your daughter will be seeing   
you today for the first time in over a year of her   
time. She shouldn't see the face that you've been   
wearing for the past few weeks."  
" I... " he almost smiled at what she said and   
the words of agreement died in his throat. He took a   
drink of the tea to give him a moment to recover. Try   
as he might, he couldn't keep the look of defeat off of   
his face. " It's bad, Setsuna. I think I know where we   
all went wrong. I pray every night that it's a mistake,   
but I just can't get the idea out of my head."  
She stood and walked over to take a seat next to   
him. One of her hands took his in a comforting grip. " I'm   
sorry, Mamoru-san, but I'm afraid that you're on the   
right track with your work."  
Setsuna stopped for several minutes to carefully   
consider what she was going to say while she comforted   
him. Mamoru didn't even notice the time going by. He   
was in too much pain from what he was realizing. She   
used one of the napkins on the tray to wipe away a   
line of tears on his face.  
" We all have a great deal of power, Mamoru-san.   
Power that comes with a great deal of responsibilities.   
We have to meet the obligations that our position demands   
of us."  
" Why her?" he whispered. " She's already done so   
much for so many people. They don't have any idea of what   
she has gone through for them, and now she has to do   
this?"  
" Are you so sure that she wouldn't agree to it?"   
she asked. " You've seen her give so much of herself. Has   
she ever hesitated to make someone else's life better,   
and do you think that she's not going to do the same   
thing again if it comes down to it?"  
He mutely shook his head.  
" There's something else, isn't there?"  
" Yes," he finally forced himself to admit it and   
sighed. " I don't love the princess. I don't love Sailor   
Moon. I fell in love with a dear, sweet girl by the name   
of Usagi Tsukino. I love her more than I do life   
itself. Why do I have to give her up?  
" Why does she have to give herself up?"  
  
************************************************  
  
The sound of glass breaking brought her to a few   
moments later. The back of her head hurt and she could   
feel moisture on her scalp. Shino was curled up on the   
ground a couple of meters away and was clutching his   
stomach. His nose was bleeding, and Kawaguchi was   
stepping on his glasses. She could feel a few tears   
running down her face. Sympathy for him, she decided,   
or maybe just the pain.  
The one who had shoved her was named Takeru. He   
was stepping towards Ami, who was standing by her with   
her back to him and looking down at her. Ami had her   
transformation wand in the palm of her hand, hidden   
from the view of the others. Usagi almost gasped in   
surprise at the look on her face. She had never before   
seen anger in Ami's eyes.   
" No!" she yelled out as a movement caught her   
eye, desperately hoping that it sounded more like a   
command instead of a scream of fear or pain. Anything   
to stop her. This wasn't worth it.  
Behind one of the ones in the back, Hotaru put   
away the Glaive. She had been about to use it to deadly   
effect. Instead, she kicked his knee from the side as   
she walked past him and he went down screaming. Another   
two steps put her right behind Kawaguchi, who had knelt   
down and was cocking his arm back to hit Shino again.   
She hooked her arm around his and stopped the   
blow. He grunted and tried to break free, turning slightly   
towards her as he strained against her grasp. Her arm   
didn't move. She shifted her weight and brought her knee   
up under his chin, knocking him out cold.  
The other one who had been watching was already in   
flight. Ami had turned back around at the sounds that were   
the result of Hotaru's intervention. She could see that   
Takeru had frozen in shock as Hotaru simply stared at him.   
It was the same look on her face that they had seen at a   
planetarium just before she had been possessed. Hotaru's   
face promised mayhem and that she was very capable of   
delivering it.  
Ami took advantage of it by walking around in front   
of him and kicking him in between the legs. He'd be in   
pain, but it was better than what Hotaru might have done   
to the one who had actually hurt Usagi.  
" Shino," Usagi exclaimed and staggered over   
towards him. Hotaru stopped her before she had even   
gone three steps. A warm hand was gently pressed against   
the back of her head and the pain receded. It was very   
soothing and she could feel the power that Hotaru was   
using.   
" Wait a few moments before getting up after a   
head wound, Usagi-san," she whispered to the blonde. " I   
need to make sure that you're all right first. Luckily,   
it was just a little scrape from the wall."  
She helped her sit down next to him and told her   
to stay there for a few minutes before she walked over   
to the water fountain. Ami was kneeling on the other   
side of the boy and was helping him to sit up.   
" You shouldn't have done that, Usagi-chan," he   
admonished her and then smiled suddenly. " Thank you."  
" Are you all right?" she asked him as he looked   
around on the ground. Ami handed him the frames to   
his glasses and he sighed in exasperation.  
" It's just a bloody nose," he said as he   
examined the frames. " I rolled with the one to my   
stomach and acted like it was worse than it was. They   
usually don't do anything when I'm on the ground,   
though."  
He inclined his head in gratitude when Hotaru   
came back and handed him a wet handkerchief. " Thanks,   
Hotaru-chan."  
" Shouldn't we tell the school administration?" Ami   
asked while he cleaned up his face.   
" No," the girl with the black hair smiled. " You   
didn't see who was watching the whole thing. Umino's   
protoge` saw everything. I talked to him over by the   
water fountain. The whole school will know he was   
beaten up by a girl before homeroom on Monday."  
Shino laughed at that, clearly amused. " I've been   
in the same math class as Kawaguchi ever since I got   
here. He's tried pushing me around before this, but this   
is a far better revenge than ruining his grades."  
" Usagi-san," Hotaru quietly said, catching her   
attention. She tapped her watch.  
" Shino," she asked while getting up. " Are you   
going to be all right? I have to be going. I've got an   
appointment that I can't miss."  
" Yes," he smiled as he stood up. " I'm sorry you   
got dragged into this."  
" I'll make sure that these three are all   
right," Hotaru added. " You're going to be late,   
Usagi-san."  
" I'd best be going, too," the boy added,   
giving a little bow of gratitude towards   
Hotaru. " Thank you."  
" Bye, Shino," Usagi said as he walked off.   
" Does this happen much?" Hotaru asked in a   
cold tone of voice.  
" A few times," Ami admitted. " It's usually   
just some verbal abuse and a few vague threats. I   
just ignore them."  
The girl took a deep breath and held it for   
several seconds before exhaling and relaxing. She   
turned to the others. " I guess it's a good thing   
that my train was early and I decided to walk to   
your house."  
" How's your father, Hotaru-chan," Usagi asked   
as she picked up her purse and made sure everything   
was still there.   
" He's doing well," she replied. " I hardly   
had a chance to see him this time, but I had only   
gone up there to drop off some documents and a few   
books he wanted. We had dinner and talked for a while.   
That new bullet train line to the north sure is a big   
help."  
She looked to make sure that Shino had turned   
the corner around the side of the building before   
continuing. " Ami-chan, stay with her until Mamoru-san   
picks her up. I've got a funny feeling about today for   
some reason. I'll see you at the park. Now, get going   
before you're late."  
The two girls complied, walking off towards Usagi's   
house to meet her real boyfriend. Hotaru got one boy on   
the ground to get up. It only took a single mean look   
to give him all the inspiration he needed to hobble away.   
The big one, she realized after taking a closer look,   
would be out for a while longer. That just left the   
one who was still writhing in pain.   
" Hello, Takeru," she greeted him as she picked   
him up by the front of his jacket and hoisted him to   
his feet with one hand. He tried to run and realized   
that she was actually holding him a few centimeters   
above the ground. " We have some business to discuss   
somewhere private."  
To his astonishment, she jumped up to the top of   
the walkway as lightly as if she was jumping up a couple   
of stairs. She didn't seem to notice that she was   
carrying a guy who outweighed her by about thirty to   
forty kilos. The next jump took them to the top of   
the administration building. He began to panic as she   
walked around to the other side of the building and   
held him out over the ledge to dangle above the ground   
two stories below the whole way there.   
" You hurt her," she softly declared. He would   
have preferred a scream of rage to that quiet   
voice. " You made her cry."  
Her violet eyes bored into his mind. He couldn't   
look away. He wanted to scream. Nothing came out of   
his mouth.  
" If you ever touch her again, if you ever hurt   
her again or cause her any pain, I'll be back. I won't   
be so nice, either. The next time you'll be dead."  
She released him and he was finally able to scream   
as he fell. It was like he had been freed from a spell.   
His arms and legs frantically began to move as he tried   
to run in mid-air. She smiled at the look on his face as   
he fell into the overflowing garbage bin below, imagining   
just how ripe he was going to smell.   
As she walked away to another side of the building   
and jumped down to the ground, another person kept a   
close watch on her from the shadows of the air-conditioner   
on the top of the gym. It was a much taller building and   
gave her an excellent view of what had just occurred and   
the fight that had preceded it.  
The sun hit her as she stepped to the edge. Her   
long, auburn hair glowed in the morning sun that picked   
out the gold highlights of the black clothes and armor   
she wore. This promised to be interesting, she thought   
with a smile.   
  
************************************************   
  
" I wasn't in any danger, Mamo-chan," she   
pleaded. " I was with Ami-chan and Hotaru-chan."  
" I know, Usako. That still doesn't make it any   
easier for me, though. I should have been there sooner."  
" Listen," she scolded him and pushed him down   
onto the bench nearest the dock in what had become   
their favorite park. She bent down towards him with   
a stern look on her face and suddenly kissed him. They   
held it for a few minutes before she sat down next to   
him and spoke in a quiet voice. " This is a happy day,   
Mamo-chan. Don't feel like that. If I was in real trouble,   
you would have been there. You're always there when it   
counts."  
" Thank you, love," he whispered pulling her head   
down onto his shoulder and putting an arm around   
her. " You always can make me feel better."  
They stayed that way for several minutes before   
noticing another nervous couple had arrived in the same   
area. Artemis was about to wear a circular path in the   
grass from his pacing in a circle around Luna, who   
calmly sat under a nearby tree and waited.  
" Seven minutes," he said in response to her   
unasked question after he glanced at his watch. " We're   
not the only ones waiting for a daughter, either. I   
guess we had-"  
He sprang forward while Usagi screamed in horror   
as a patch of pink clouds suddenly appeared high over   
the dock that stretched out into the pond. Normally   
they took a few moments to form, and it also was only   
a few meters above the water. They had never seen it   
happen above the hard, wooden surface of the dock.  
She came into existence fifteen meters up in the   
air. He was in mid-leap as she plummeted towards the   
ground. She had just managed to start to get into the   
correct position to take a fall when his arm caught her   
around the middle.   
They landed in the pond with a thunderous splash   
as Usagi came running up along with the cats. She didn't   
stop and dove in after them. Artemis nearly didn't stop   
either but thought better of it. They had seen only a girl   
falling from the sky, and not a girl and a cat.  
" Chibi-usa-chan!" she cried out as she broke the   
surface near them. To her consternation they were beginning   
to laugh as they looked at each other and then he pulled   
the girl into an embrace. They were both either unhurt or   
too happy to see each other to notice any injuries.  
She found the water there was deep enough to make   
her stand on the tips of her toes while he had his   
shoulders above the water. Usagi made to embrace them   
as well until the girl pulled away from her.   
" I want to be with my Daddy," she tried to say   
to her in a stern tone of voice and utterly failing. The   
giggles were giving her true feelings away. " You said   
I'm growing so quickly that you won't buy me any new   
clothes."  
Usagi began to look crestfallen. That was the   
moment the girl chose to jump away from her father and   
onto her. Both went under for a moment and came up   
holding each other and laughing. Usagi gave her a   
quick, fierce hug before shoving her towards the dock.   
" Here you go," Mamoru said as he boosted Usagi   
up to where she could climb up onto the dock on her   
own and did the same for Chibi-usa.   
" Chibi-usa-chan?" she whispered in surprise as   
they stood up. The pink ponytails had been about ten  
centimeters longer even before they had gotten wet,   
but the biggest surprise was that the tips of the girl's   
odango came up just over her own shoulders.   
" Mama," she sniffled and threw herself into her   
mother's arms for a proper hug. They were both crying as   
Mamoru came over and wrapped them up in his arms as well   
for a few minutes before nudging them towards the   
walkway.  
" Small Lady?" Luna ventured from where the cats   
now sat, safely away from any of the wet and dripping   
humans. Chibi-usa slipped from her mother's embrace and   
walked over to them. She knelt down and gave each a kiss   
on the forehead.  
" Your daughter sends her love and regrets," she   
told them as she fondly looked at them.   
" I take it there were some problems, then?" Luna   
asked politely, but she was plainly hoping for some   
information about her daughter.  
" I'm probably a grandfather already," Artemis   
muttered, half in jest and half in fear. Luna almost   
smacked him in the back of his head.  
" The last time I went home," the little girl   
began as she took a seat between the other two sitting   
on the bench. " The transit was pretty bad for both of   
us. This one coming back was even worse. Diana would   
have had a very tough time with it right now."  
" The time-keys are still working, but obviously   
not as smoothly," Artemis commented.   
" How could you ever guess?" the young girl wryly   
added while looking down at the plain, thick white dress   
she wore. It was functional but nearly shapeless. " We   
didn't even know if anything I took with me to this time   
would make it back since the stuff I took forward the   
last time didn't survive the trip. Usagi-chan made   
this from the drapes, I think, and now it's all wet   
and ruined."  
" Chibi-usa-chan," Mamoru said, and the girl   
turned her gaze from Usagi, who was on the receiving   
end of a teasing look, to the two cats. " Diana is   
all right, correct?"  
" I'm sorry," she apologized to them. " Diana   
is fine except that she's having a tough time adjusting   
to being able to change into a human. We all thought   
that the trip would be too much stress for her right   
now."  
" Couldn't they send her later?" Luna wistfully   
asked. The girl took a deep breath before answering.  
" Not... not without Pu. We're conserving the   
key's energy. We haven't heard from her and Mama...   
Mother doesn't want to force the gates open. This isn't   
the first time Pu hasn't answered the door to the gates   
in a long time, although she usually tells us to leave   
her alone first."  
" I'm sorry, Chibi-usa-chan, but we haven't seen   
her," Usagi whispered and then sadly shook her head. The   
words failed her. The young man had a pained look on his   
face as well, but the two girls missed it since they were   
looking at each other.  
" C'mon, everybody," Mamoru spoke in an effort to   
cheer them up. " The car's right over there. Let's go   
home and get cleaned up, then we can get this girl into   
a mall. I know that none of her old things are going to   
fit anymore."  
The news of a quick shopping trip lightened the   
spirits of both of the young ladies as they walked back   
to the car and ignored the glances of curious passers-by   
who wanted to stare at them for being so soaked and so   
happy.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Pain is a fascinating sensation," he commented   
as they sat on the roof of the observation deck of the   
Tokyo Tower. The same winds that blew her long hair and   
his single, thin braid made the tower gently sway   
underneath them.   
" I don't have any idea of what you see in it," she   
sniffed. " I was human and had more pain than I could   
ever want to deal with. Why do you seek it out?"  
" I don't quite 'seek it out'," he replied, idly   
straightening the collar of the black school uniform   
he wore. " It is interesting to experience it, however.   
I consider it very insightful."  
" We don't needs insights into their minds," she   
burst out. " Why don't you just let me take care of it?   
The one who was reborn _may_ be a danger to me, but   
the rest are no match for the power we've been given."  
" Patience, Flare," he said in an attempt to   
placate her anger. " There are two of them who have   
been reborn and this isn't about defeating them in   
battle, or at least not yet. I want them to react in   
a certain manner, and that takes more time."  
" Are you so sure that they will jump through   
your hoops?"  
" Actually," he grinned in response, his tawny   
eyes sparkling. " This method will be far easier than   
my first idea. I used to think that I might just make   
them renounce her, but I've seen the error in that   
approach. It wouldn't be painful enough to force them   
like that.   
" They will voluntarily do it, however, when we   
give them the right reasons. Keep with the plan about   
the genius girl, and light off the first warning shot   
later today. All we need to do is to make them realize   
the cost of supporting her. If we make it too painful   
for them to go on, they'll abandon her."   
" And if they don't?"  
" They will die, Flare," he declared. " All of   
them. Every living thing on this planet will be dead.   
Except for her, of course. It will be enjoyable to   
watch her suffer over a few eons."  
  
***********************************************  
  
The cool, clear water closed over his head as   
released his hold on the rail and let himself begin   
to sink into the depths of the lagoon. A silvery   
stream of bubbles in front of him told him that   
Madison was already on her way down. It wasn't too   
surprising she was in a hurry, he grinned behind his   
mask and glanced up at the receding surface.   
They had spent the better part of seven months   
waiting to get all the permits to do this dive. The   
site wasn't hot any longer, but many of the ships   
were sunk with full loads of ordinance, and that   
made it dangerous to be here. Only a fool would think   
otherwise about entering the waters off of Bikini   
atoll.   
Despite the safe readings on their Geiger counter,   
he had found himself apprehensive as he prepared for the   
dive. The cameras were ready, but the cameraman wasn't.   
He didn't think that anyone could be unaffected by being   
here. He was about to approach ground zero of a nuclear   
blast and see firsthand the fruits of Operation   
Crossroads.  
Shortly after the second World War, the United   
States had moored a number of ships off of the atoll   
in order to see what the effects of a nuclear attack   
would be on the vessels he was about to film. Most of   
them had been severely damaged, and then the second   
test, an underwater blast, had finished the job. The   
few surviving ships had probably sank after one of   
the nearly two dozen more atomic explosions, and the   
entire area had been off limits for years.   
That was the main reason that they had wanted   
to do a dive here. There were several interested   
parties who wanted a copy of the tapes. They ranged   
from the production companies that made documentaries   
for cable TV to the organizations for the sailors   
assigned to each particular ship. The area was in   
pristine condition from having so few divers allowed   
to enter it.   
This was going to be one of their big breaks,   
he realized as he checked the camera and his gear.   
Producers who made documentaries for both programs   
about diving and history had been calling them ever   
since the word got out that they had been allowed to   
make the descent and film the wreckage. He'd start   
with the Saratoga, which should be below them.   
Madison had stopped about fifty feet below   
the surface and he could see her smile despite her   
mask. She waved her arm around and gave him the   
thumbs-up. He agreed with a nod. The water clarity   
was incredible today, and it was bright enough for   
him to make a quick measurement with one of the   
waterproof gauges.   
He gave her a thumbs-up of his own. It was   
nearly as bright as at the surface on some of the   
days they had filmed they had filmed the Great   
Barrier Reef in Australia, and they were a lot   
deeper right now. The sun was still rising, he   
recalled, and that must be why it was getting   
even brighter. This was certainly going to be   
a wonderful day.   
  
************************************************  
  
" I think these are done," she decided and popped   
one of the shu mai into her mouth. Haruka gasped in   
surprise at the temperature and started rapidly exhaling   
to cool off the dumpling.   
" It serves you right," Michiru giggled as she   
handed her iced tea to the taller woman. Haruka quickly   
took a drink and sighed in relief before finishing the   
dumpling.  
" Someone had to see if they were done," she   
protested, and tried to make her voice sound like she   
was hurt by her friend's comment. She knew she was   
failing miserably, so she turned back to the fire,   
closed the lid of the steamer and sulked. It had only   
taken her a few hours to make the steamer and the   
stand out of some spare metal at her garage the   
previous morning.   
Michiru stood and brushed a few bits of grass   
from her pale blue sundress before walking over behind   
Haruka. The blonde tensed up at first when she began   
to massage her shoulders and neck, but then relaxed   
and loudly exhaled.   
" You're as tight as a drum," Michiru whispered   
as she looked around them. They were at the top of a   
hill in a park near her parent's old house. Since it   
became a gated community last year the number of   
visitors to the park had dropped, and they almost   
had it to themselves. The only other visitors were   
a few families down by the base who hadn't even tried   
joining them at the top.   
Makoto and Ami were setting up a tray with plates   
and condiments several meters away in the spot with the   
better view. The steamer they were keeping an eye on   
needed to be on a more level surface, which was the   
reason for their being away from the others. Rei was   
splitting her attention between watching Hotaru helping   
Minako to try and walk on the sloping grass without   
falling down and setting up a carafe of hot tea.   
She leaned down and straightened the collar on   
Haruka's white shirt before giving her a brief embrace.   
The other woman leaned back against her for a moment,   
drawing in some of the calmness that surrounded Michiru.   
They both felt that they were going to need it today.   
  
*****************************  
  
  
  
  
The End of the Beginning {1/3} 


	2. Default Chapter Title

The End of the Beginning {2/3}  
  
  
  
  
  
" They're done, Mako-chan," she said as she set   
down the bamboo steamer basket and took off the lid. She   
grabbed another shu mai in the process and popped it into   
her mouth before the chef, who was smoothing out a wrinkle   
in her beige dress, could stop her.   
" Haruka-san, I saw you sampling them over   
there," Makoto complained in a good-natured way,   
waggling a finger at her in a vain attempt to admonish   
the taller woman. " If you keep that up nobody will   
get any."  
" I had to make sure that they were done, and   
you have more than enough for everyone, Mako-chan," she   
grinned as she picked up the next two baskets, stacked   
them atop one another and returned to Michiru and the   
fire they had set up earlier that was several meters   
away.   
" Here you go, everyone," Makoto called out and   
indicated the plates and chopsticks in the basket at   
her side.   
" I guess we should take advantage of this," Ami   
giggled as she began to fill her plate with an   
assortment of dim sum. " It isn't often that Usagi-chan   
is late for a meal like this."  
" Well," Makoto shrugged in the direction of the   
bottom of the hill and nabbed one of her shrimp har   
gow while Ami looked the other way. " They're here, so   
you'd better hurry up."  
" Look at how tall she is," Rei gasped as she   
joined them while they watched them get out of Mamoru's   
car at the bottom of the hill. Usagi and Chibi-usa were   
in near matching outfits, jeans and white T-shirts, due   
to the reasons that Mamoru had explained earlier when   
he had called to let them know that he would be a few   
minutes late. The pink-haired girl had grown considerably   
since the last time they had seen her. Chibi-usa let   
out a cry of delight and began to run up the hill towards   
them.   
" She must be at least ten," she finished, and then   
went over to get Minako before putting her hand on Hotaru's   
shoulder. The young woman jumped in surprise and quickly   
nodded in gratitude when Rei gave her a little push. " Go   
on, Hotaru-chan."  
" Thank you, Rei-chan," she hurriedly whispered   
before bounding off down the hill towards the young   
girl. At Makoto's beckoning, Rei picked up the child   
and carried her over by the others and sat down. Ami   
traded her an empty plate for Minako and set the girl   
down by her to begin sharing her own meal.  
" At least that part hasn't changed," Makoto   
laughed as the girl grabbed a char siu bao from Ami   
and began to eat the pork bun. " She still has the   
same appetite as her namesake."  
They joined her in a slightly nervous laugh   
at the jest, but were still a little concerned about   
the situation. Each day the child began to look more   
and more like the Minako they used to know. They   
still had no idea of what was going on with her, or   
if she was even the Minako they had known.   
" Hi," Mamoru said as he walked up to them   
and put down the cooler he was carrying. He took   
off his leather jacket before taking a seat. " I'm   
sorry we were late, but we had to make a little   
detour through a mall on the way. If what I said...   
say in the future is correct, she must be making up   
for lost time by growing so quickly."   
" We can see why," Makoto added, taking the cooler   
of drinks and sliding it around so that it was slightly   
more out of the way. They all fully remembered the shock   
when the future Endymion's image told them that the girl   
was almost nine hundred years old. " I can't believe   
she's gotten so big."  
" It's almost been a year for us," Usagi   
continued as she joined them. " And it's nearly   
been the same for her."  
" Here you go, Usagi-chan," Rei said to her   
with a teasing smile as she handed her a plate and   
some chopsticks. " There's plenty to go around,   
even for you."   
" Rei-chan!" Usagi complained as she took   
several dumplings and put them on her plate. She   
fed one to Mamoru before starting in on them herself.   
" Don't say that, Rei-chan," Mamoru said around   
a mouthful of food. " Our daughter makes her mother   
look like a light eater when it comes to dim sum. My   
wallet found that out the last time we went out when   
she was here."  
" Well, there is more than enough, even for   
their appetites," Makoto declared as Hotaru and   
Chibi-usa walked up to them.   
" Mako-chan," the girl scolded the cook. " I   
told you not to go to any trouble like this on my   
next visit, didn't I?"  
" I guess you don't want any, then?" the brunette   
replied in a sweet tone of voice.   
" No!" the girl blurted out and then blushed as   
they laughed at the look on her face. She recovered   
by quickly taking a plate for herself. " Thank you   
for doing all this, Mako-chan."   
" It was my pleasure, Chibi-usa-chan," she replied.   
" So," Ami ventured a question with a broad smile   
on her face. " How are things in the future?"  
" Ami-chan!" they all yelled, but laughter made   
most of them miss timing it correctly. It was an old,   
but familiar joke between them about Ami wanting to   
know something about the future, and Chibi-usa not   
being able to say anything. It had almost become a   
tradition for Ami to ask it and for the others to   
complain in a good-natured way.  
" Actually, I did have one question for you,   
Chibi-usa-chan," Hotaru asked a few minutes later. " They   
would have gotten you anything you wanted to wear today   
when you hit the stores on the way here. Why the jeans?"  
The girl thought about that a few moments   
before laughing. " I guess I can tell you that part   
without causing any problems.   
" Thanks to a certain person's penchant for   
formal wear," she explained while pointedly glancing   
at her father, " the retro-twentieth century look   
hasn't been in fashion for years. I haven't been   
able to wear anything comfortable outside of my   
rooms for months."  
" Eeek!" Usagi screeched in mock-horror, not   
noticing someone walking up behind her with the next   
two baskets of freshly steamed food. " She's turning   
into a tomboy like Haruka-san!"  
" Is there something wrong with that,   
odango-atama?" Haruka asked with a sweetly ominous  
smile as she tapped Usagi on the shoulder.  
  
************************************************  
  
Far above the blue waters a figure stood in   
mid-air, contemplating the scene below. The islands   
were mere dots at this height, and she could even see   
the faint suggestion of a curve to the horizon. The   
scattering of clouds would have obscured the vision   
of her old eyes.  
The one place she wanted stood out in her mind   
due to what had happened there long before. It was one   
of the places where they dared to try and emulate her   
own power, and that impertinence galled her. Today she   
could finally begin to make them pay for that and all   
the slights they had visited upon her in her earlier   
life.  
Confident of her being in the correct spot, she   
rose straight up in relation to it through the remains   
of the atmosphere. She went past the gadgets they had   
in the lower orbits until she was at the most cluttered   
altitude. Here were their satellites with the most   
stable orbits, although the greatest concentration was   
directly over the equator.  
If one of them was pointed at her, they'll   
certainly get a show today, she grinned as she began   
to call upon her power. It would take just over eight   
minutes for it to accumulate and reach her. The stage   
was set, the players were in their places, and the   
show was about to begin.  
  
***********************************************  
  
The one who was closest to the center was the   
first to see what was happening. He cried out a   
warning to the others and shared his view with them.   
Theirs were the only eyes to gaze upon this. The few   
deep space probes in position to see it weren't   
looking in the right direction at the right time.   
The fierce, blinding radiance of the sun began   
to go dark on the side opposite the third one. They   
watched aghast as the darkness spread over the space   
of a few seconds to cover the rest of the surface   
until the only light emitted was on the line between   
it and the third one.  
It will just miss, she reassured the others. She   
was strangely calm for nearly having faced certain   
destruction. The nova-bright shaft of light hurtled   
along it's path, and the sun began to shine with it's   
accustomed splendor over the entirety of it's surface.   
It begins, the one fourth out quietly stated   
to the others. They watched the brightness of the   
beam move through the darkness. The first one out   
was well away from it, but the second was closer to   
the blast than he. She shivered in fear at the   
feeling the energy had.   
Such hatred, she cried out in anguish. The bolt   
of light illuminated the surface of both the third one   
and her daughter as it passed between them and stopped.   
The figure floating there in the space between reached   
a hand into the raw power and began to glow.  
They could hear her laughter as she directed   
the energy down towards the planet below. The clouds   
vanished in the beam's path, getting blown outward in   
a circular pattern as the blast fell from the sky and   
slammed into the atoll.  
  
************************************************  
  
The Frisbee caromed off one tree and narrowly   
missed the girl before swooping up into the air as   
part of her plan to bring it in on her from behind.   
Chibi-usa was wise to it, though, and easily evaded   
the second attack. Usagi caught it and flipped it   
over to her daughter.   
" See? Just like that American TV show heroine.   
Your turn, Chibi-usa-chan."  
" It's a lot harder with this," she replied,   
frowning in concentration as she caught the disc. " I   
could do it with your tiara."  
" Some of us just have the natural talent," she   
smiled back. They were about ten meters down the hill   
from the others, who were still eating and talking. Dim   
sum was supposed to be enjoyed over a long period of   
time, with lots of tea and conversation according to   
Makoto. The two of them had gotten bored and decided   
to play catch.   
Her daughter was good, but she didn't have the   
same touch as she did. All the practice with her tiara   
and an instinctive grasp of it made her a whiz with a   
Frisbee. The return throw from the girl was a good one;   
fast, hard and level, but easy for her to catch.  
" You're not supposed to throw it like the   
sidekick," she teased the girl. A quick flick of her   
wrist sent it past the girl and off of two trees before   
it returned to her hand. She almost laughed at the   
exasperated look on the girl's face.   
*Mama no baka*, she faintly heard an amused and   
distinctly un-ladylike snort in her mind.   
" Chibi-usa?" she whispered in shock.  
*Not like that, Usagi-chan* the voice replied. She   
could make it out to be her daughter's now. *Like this.   
Inside*  
" Inside?"  
The girl pointed to her chest where they would   
normally be wearing their broaches if they were in   
costume. *The crystal*  
*But how...*  
*We can hear each other's, remember? I talk to   
mine, and you can hear me*  
*That's incredible! I'm so proud of you for   
figuring that out!*  
She could feel the wave of slight discomfort go   
through the girl and realized that she must be putting   
a lot of her emotions into the link as well.   
*Usagi-chan?* her daughter asked.  
* I wasn't supposed to find this out, was I?* she   
guessed.  
*No, it's not that* the girl sent back, and then   
blushed. *You showed me how to do this just before I came   
back this time. You said I'd need it, and since you've   
been broadcasting your emotions at me ever since I saw   
you there at the dock, I figured you already knew how   
to do this. That wasn't what I wanted to ask you,   
though. Can I ask you a favor?*  
*Of course*  
*I love you, Mama, but could we just be friends   
here? I still feel more like we're sisters or cousins   
here, and I sort of like being able to be your friend*  
*Certainly* she smiled back and let her love for   
the girl show through. She was feeling the same warmth   
being sent back towards her.  
*By the way, Usagi-chan, we shouldn't do this too   
often*  
*Why*  
*It's hard to concentrate on this and the rest of   
the world at the same time. Look to your left*  
She did and jumped in surprise as she realized   
Haruka was standing there making faces at her.  
" Earth to Usagi-chan!" she called out again,   
waving her hand in front of Usagi's face. " You okay?   
You didn't hear a thing I was saying."  
She turned and made a face at the girl after she   
heard a faint giggle. " I'm sorry, Haruka-san. What were   
you saying?"  
" I needed to talk with you two for a moment," she   
quietly said and waved her arm at the girl, motioning for   
her to come over.  
" What is it, Haruka-san?" Chibi-usa asked when she   
got there. The tall woman wore a more serious expression   
on her face now.  
" You said back there that you brought nothing but   
the dress you were wearing back with you, right?"  
The girl nodded and looked back and forth at the   
two of them before the woman went on. " What about your   
broach? I haven't seen that, and you always wear it."  
" I'm afraid that I couldn't bring it this time,   
Haruka-san," she explained. " Sailor Chibi-moon didn't   
make the trip."  
" Chibi-usa-chan!" Usagi gasped in dismay.  
" I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. My broach ended up in the   
moat while I landed in the garden the last time I went   
forward. It took us a month to find it, and that was only   
blind luck. We didn't want to risk that happening again   
this time."  
" Okay," Haruka shrugged. " We'll juggle schedules   
to keep someone with you at all times just to play it   
safe."  
" Haruka-san," she said, moving a step forward and   
catching the gaze of the woman. " I may not have my   
broach, but I'm not powerless. I just can't internalize   
the broach to carry it like I can with the crystal."  
Usagi watched in surprise as the girl reached into   
a pocket and pulled out her Silver Crystal, or at least   
her version of it from the future. They didn't know the   
truth as to what it was, and Chibi-usa wouldn't tell   
them exactly what it was.  
" That's a start," Haruka grudgingly admitted, and   
Usagi realized what she had on her mind. She was testing   
the girl here in some way. " Still, we can't depend on   
you being able to go into princess mode whenever we need   
you, so-"  
" Can't depend on me?" the girl declared with a   
touch of steel in her voice and a determined smile. She   
held the crystal up over her head and Usagi felt the   
pulse of energy from it. Chibi-usa's form seemed to waver,   
and it appeared for a moment that she was wearing a gown   
similar to Usagi's when she was the Neo-Queen.   
" Pink Ladies' Freezing Kiss!" she softly called out,   
pointing forward and a single pink heart flew towards Haruka   
trailing a white mist behind it. She easily dodged, jumping   
up and over it, but collapsed to her feet in laughter upon   
landing.  
" That's good, squirt," Haruka gasped out between   
breaths.   
" What's so funny?" Chibi-usa demanded. It took   
Haruka a few minutes to stop laughing.   
" I never thought I'd be attacked by a giant, pink   
candy heart with icing before," she explained, causing   
Usagi to start giggling as well. Chibi-usa tried to look   
angry for a few moments and gave up to join in the   
laughter.   
" NO!" a scream rang out behind them. They turned   
to see Rei on her feet, the plate that was on her lap   
now on the ground at her feet. Her eyes were wide and   
unblinking. The pupils were so dilated that her eyes   
seemed to have gone entirely black. Minako picked up on   
her fear and started crying as Rei called out again and   
collapsed to the ground.  
They all gathered around the priestess as she began   
to uncontrollably cry. Michiru stepped away and walked   
over to Haruka. They looked at each other for a long,   
timeless moment to drink in the sight of the other, and   
then the spell was broken as Michiru took out the Deep   
Aqua mirror.   
" Haruka," she whispered, angling the mirror so   
the other woman could see it.   
" Ami!" Haruka yelled after glancing at it, and   
dragged the girl away from the others by the collar and   
forced her to look at the mirror.   
" Oh, my God," Ami said as her face went pale and   
she pulled her computer out her pocket. " The sun...   
it's black."  
She hadn't even begun to type when the light   
dimmed. It grew almost intolerably bright for a moment,   
with their shadows swinging around behind them like the   
sun had moved before going back to normal. The ground   
beneath their feet started to shake a few moments later.  
" Earthquake?" Makoto ventured hopefully.   
" No," the three Outer Senshi flatly responded   
in unison. Ami's computer shrieked out in a klaxon that   
they had never heard before. She hit several buttons and   
brought up the reasons for the alarm signals it was   
giving her. Her eyes went wide.   
" I've got an intercept on United States military   
transmissions," she announced a few moments later in a   
grave tone. " They've gone to DEFCON 1."  
" What?" Chibi-usa asked, beginning to feel   
worried. She had no idea what it meant, but she didn't   
like how Ami had said it.   
" A nuclear attack is imminent," Ami   
responded. " They're getting ready to strike back."  
  
**********************************************  
  
" I repeat, no EMP. I repeat, no EMP. There was   
an awful lot of light and some turbulence, but no   
electro-magnetic pulse."   
" Acknowledged, Rook. Continue your patrol and   
keep your eyes peeled," the controller ordered. " The   
skipper will probably have further orders, so sit tight."   
" Roger that," the pilot replied.   
" They don't know what that was?" Domino asked   
incredulously from the back seat. " That had to be a   
nuke."  
" It couldn't be," Rook explained as he put the   
F-14 into a slow, spiraling climb towards a higher   
altitude. " Nobody has anything that clean."  
" Yeah, and guess who gets to go check it out,"   
the pilot of the other plane in their patrol quipped.   
" Us," Domino added with a groan.  
" He's got a point, Domino," Rook said as he   
smiled into his mask. They weren't out here on a   
joyride today, and the new birds had the best sensor   
systems of anything up in the air right now. " Better   
start setting up all your targeting and recording gear,   
you two Whizzos. Odds are we're going to have to go   
see what that was."   
" Thanks, Captain," the weapons officers replied   
in a sing-song chorus. The idea of what might be   
happening was serious enough to make them drop most   
of their usual complaints at the semi-derogatory   
nickname that was carried over from Air Force   
terminology.   
The SuperTomcats they were flying were part   
of a test to see the effects of converting the F-14   
airframe into a new attack plane that could still   
function as an effective fighter. The old Tomcat was   
given the same kind of treatment that had turned the   
Air Force F-15's into the F-15E Strike Eagle. The   
backseater was no longer called a radar operator   
like they were in the old days because they had so   
many more responsibilities in the new plane.   
" Rook," an older, calm voice with a Southern   
accent came over the radio. All four men fought   
back the urge to salute. " We need you boys to go   
see what happened. Washington wants visual   
confirmation of what went on. What's your status?"   
" Aye, skipper. Give me a moment on the status. What   
about the satellites, and what are we looking for?" he   
asked while he began to check his readings and calculate   
his range.   
" Negative on that. Apparently it was bright   
enough to blind all of them that were looking. We don't   
know anything right now other than there was an explosion."  
" Skipper, we just topped off before it happened,   
so we've got about twelve minutes at full burn with the   
conformal fuel tanks. That won't give us much time to   
loiter in the area, though."  
" That's good enough, Rook. We're sending the   
coordinates now. Four of the Tomcats on stand-by are   
being scrambled with buddy tanks to meet you there,   
and we'll have a pair of A-6 tankers on the way to   
give you a full refill in 5 minutes."   
A green light came on in his heads-up display.   
Domino had the coordinates and route laid into the   
computer. " Enterprise, we have the data. Accelerating   
to full burner."  
The wings swept back against the fuselage as he   
gradually slid the throttle forward and increased power.   
The two planes shot forward as if fired from a gun under   
the impetus of the new engines.   
" Correct course to 195 degrees," Domino added   
as they slipped past the sound barrier when the   
afterburners kicked in.  
" 195, Roger," he replied and tapped the   
rudder. " Where are we going, Domino?"  
" How's this for irony, Mickey?" he asked   
over the intercom to his old partner, foregoing the   
use of his handle, and put up a map on the pilot's   
display. He glanced down and nervously laughed.   
" Think they forgot about one and it finally   
went off?"  
" Nah," the man in the back responded with a   
grin. " That was a Navy operation, remember? The Army   
and Air Force might have done something like that when   
they did their tests in Nevada, but not the Navy. Maybe   
it's Godzilla."  
" We'll see," the pilot said and slipped back   
into his professional demeanor. The rest of the flight   
was spent in silence except for acknowledging status   
checks from the carrier. They had been conducting sea   
trials for the new planes and went through their   
checklists to prepare for combat.   
" Enterprise, you sure about those coordinates?" he   
asked ten minutes later when he throttled back and slowed   
down to subsonic speeds. They went into a shallow dive   
to give them a better view.  
" Confirmed on the coordinates, Rook," the captain's   
voice came over the radio.   
" Double checked on the GPS satellites and our   
own inertial navigation systems," Domino quietly   
added. " We're here."   
" What is it, Rook?" the ship's captain asked.   
" Captain," he responded slowly. " The look-down   
radar shows a tsunami radiating outward from that point,   
but no island. The atoll is gone."  
  
***********************************************   
  
" The world is still wondering what happened   
today at Bikini atoll," the newscaster began the   
nightly news. " Officials from both Japan and the   
United States still do not know what destroyed the   
island earlier today.   
" Also, the tsunami watch had been downgraded   
along the coasts of the southward facing beaches in   
light of-"  
Makoto firmly tapped a button on the remote,   
switching it from the TV broadcast back to the feed   
from the computer and turned towards the rest of them   
in the expansive den of the penthouse suite. " So,   
the entire island is gone, and nobody has any idea   
of why."  
Ami shrugged as all eyes in the room turned   
towards her. She entered several codes on the computer   
she was currently working on and displayed the   
information on the oversized monitor they had been   
watching.   
" No radiation?" Hotaru asked. " I thought   
anything that big would have to be giving off   
radiation."   
" It wasn't a nuclear explosion," Ami   
explained. " There was no EMP or radiation at the   
blast site. The only way it's hot is that the   
temperature in the area went up. That rules out   
a conventional nuclear device."   
" What about a fusion bomb?" Chibi-usa asked,   
recalling some of her lessons. " I thought those had   
a cleaner reaction."   
" The current fusion bombs aren't that good,"   
she replied, taking off her glasses and massaging the   
bridge of her nose. " They use a fusion process, but   
they're still 'dirty', as they call it. To have a blast   
site without any radiation, they'd have to make a device   
that could completely change matter to energy."   
She tossed one of the science books she had been   
looking through onto the coffee table the others were   
sitting around. " If you were able to perfectly use all   
the energy in that book like a bomb, the resulting   
explosion would have the planet starting to tear itself   
apart by now."   
" That still doesn't explain the lack of the EMP,   
either," Michiru added. She was sitting in the deep bay   
window across the room leaning up against Haruka with   
her legs stretched out in front of her. " There is a   
precedent for this kind of an explosion, however."  
" What?" Mamoru exclaimed.  
" There was an explosion of unknown causes in   
Siberia in the early nineteen hundreds. Trees were   
blown from outward from a central point for hundreds   
of square kilometers. There were no signs of burnt   
trees or, later on when modern scientists explored it,   
any signs of residual radiation."   
" Just like today," Makoto mused.   
" The world's nuclear powers are denying any   
involvement," Rei added from her seat on the floor.   
Luna was curled up in her lap as she sat cross-legged. " I   
tried a fire reading, too."  
" And?" Usagi asked, still feeling slightly worried   
despite sitting next to Mamoru on one of the couches. Rei   
simply shook her head. Usagi sighed and considered the   
worst part of it, at least in her mind. " Where there   
many people there?"  
" The exact numbers aren't known," Ami softly   
responded. " The descendants of the original inhabitants   
were allowed to start re-settling a few years ago,   
though."  
They were all quiet for a few minutes after that,   
letting the cost of what they had seen sink in.  
" Well, we don't have all the information we need   
to solve why it happened yet," Artemis started in an   
attempt to change the subject away from the grim   
reckoning. " Nor do we know how it will affect us. What   
else can we try and determine?"  
" The data flow is still secure," Ami said. " They   
still haven't realized that Setsuna's algorithms are   
continuing to break their communication encryption. I'll   
have a better idea of what happened with all the   
satellites in the morning when they finish transmitting   
all the scientific data. The world governments aren't   
lying about what happened, either."   
" Sorry, Ami-chan," Makoto smiled. " No government   
conspiracy theory today to play with. You've been   
watching that show too much, anyway."  
The girl with the blue hair blushed and smiled   
as they had a much-needed laugh at her expense. She   
didn't mind it right now due to how somber they all   
had been the last few hours. Luna looked up and caught   
Rei's eye.  
" My fire readings haven't been giving me   
anything," the priestess eventually spoke up in a   
quiet voice. " I have had some bad dreams about   
something happening, though. I had a flashback   
earlier today to one of those dreams."   
" Dreams, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked, feeling more   
than concerned for her friend.  
" Like the ones from just before we all met," Rei   
added, looking down and refusing to meet any of their   
eyes. Hotaru put her hand on Chibi-usa's arm to stop her   
from speaking.  
" Was I going to destroy the world again?" she   
asked, her face deadly serious.  
" Hotaru-chan!" Rei gasped in confusion. " How   
could you even think that?"  
" Wait!" she called out, holding up her hands   
for silence. She took a long look around before   
continuing. " Something has been bothering me a lot   
the past few days. I've been feeling like a rubber band   
that has been stretched as far as it can go. I need to   
know if I'm going to go crazy again."  
" You're not the only one," Haruka called   
out. " We've felt it, too."  
" Both of us had it the strongest early this   
morning," Michiru added.   
" But what do these feelings mean?" Mamoru asked,   
and then smiled as Usagi stifled a huge yawn.   
" I don't know," the blonde said, " and I don't   
think we're going to find out tonight no matter what   
happens. Ami-chan will have more information in the   
morning," she said while standing up and stretching. " We've   
been doing this for an hour now and we're no closer to a   
solution. Why don't we go get some rest and see what   
tomorrow brings?"   
" Don't forget practice tomorrow morning,   
either," Haruka reminded them and was rewarded with a   
chorus of protests.  
The others agreed to go home, although it was   
very reluctant in Ami's case. At Usagi's prompting,   
Mamoru bodily picked her up and carried her down to   
his car so she could be dropped off at home. It was   
only when Usagi threatened to stay the night with her   
did Ami agree to getting some rest while the others   
went off to do the same.  
  
************************************************  
  
Jupiter laughed, ducked and brought the sword up   
and around to deflect Saturn's Glaive up over her   
head. That's the price you pay for those low, sweeping   
cuts you like to use so much, she grinned and lashed out   
with a kick at the girl's side while she was still   
off-balance.   
Or, at least, that was the plan. Somehow the shaft   
of the Silence Glaive got under her foot as Saturn   
shifted the direction of her swing. She brought it up   
and tipped Jupiter onto her back before the brunette   
could react. Endymion leapt to her defense while Uranus   
flung herself at the other Outer Senshi.  
Their efforts were in vain. The length of the   
haft let Saturn tag Jupiter in the stomach while she   
jumped back a step to neatly avoid Uranus.   
" Damn," Jupiter swore and stretched out on the   
grass, a casualty of war as per their rules. With the   
odds more even, it was only a matter of time for Saturn   
to deal with the other two by switching to a more   
defensive style. The change in pace frustrated Uranus,   
making her an easier target for the methodical girl.   
Endymion didn't last too much longer after the blonde   
woman went down from a leg sweep with the flat of the   
Glaive.  
" Pax," he muttered and held up his hands after   
being disarmed. She grinned and gave him a short bow.   
" That's two straight in 'weapons only.' Want to   
make it best of five?"  
" What's the point?" Jupiter asked, reverting back   
to being Makoto and straightening the white gi she   
wore. " We haven't been able to beat you in this   
category for five months now."  
Saturn only smiled before her fuku dissolved   
into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and helped Uranus   
to her feet. Makoto also stood and handed the sword   
over to the taller woman. The blonde put away her own   
sword before taking the one from Makoto. It was the only   
other weapon they had that the brunette could use in   
practice against the others like this. Regular weapons   
tended to be cut in half upon being used to block the   
Space Sword or the Silence Glaive.   
" Her Majesty is about to speak," Hotaru giggled   
and made Haruka blush. When Haruka had started setting   
up the regular practices for all of them, she had held   
Venus's sword while speaking to them once. In one way,   
it was natural for her to do that because the Silver   
Crescent sword was traditionally carried by the leader   
of the Senshi. Usagi, as the royal princess, had given   
it to Uranus to keep until Venus returned.  
Michiru had been quick to notice Haruka's usage   
of the sword as an additional, and not very subtle   
reminder of her being in charge, at least during   
practice. She compared it to a monarch making a   
pronouncement from their throne, much to the other's   
amusement. It was one of the few things that they   
could tease Haruka about on a regular basis.   
" Hush, Chibi-Hotaru," she growled back before   
breaking into a friendly smile that belied her usual   
competitiveness. " You should be thankful that this   
was only weapons usage. You don't do as well when we   
all get to use our powers."   
" She's got you there, Hotaru-chan," Mamoru added   
as he walked up after retrieving his sword. After he   
sheathed the blade, his clothes shifted back to the   
sweats he had been wearing earlier. " Of course, that   
valley will never be the same after our last bout with   
no restrictions. What's next, Haruka-san?"  
" Unarmed and civilian," she decided, shifting back   
as well. She looked around after an absent-minded tug on   
the T-shirt she was wearing. " Go on and start without me,   
though. I need to take care of something."  
" Yes, ma'am," he jokingly saluted, but she didn't   
react to him. Her eyes were already scanning the area as   
she slipped into the bushes.  
  
************************************************  
  
" There they go again," Rei protested as she sat   
down next to Ami, who was watching the melee between   
Makoto, Mamoru and Hotaru get under way again. Ami had   
taken off the blue top of her sweats in order to cool   
off. The white shirt that was worn under the top was   
soaked with sweat, just like her own probably was. " I   
get tired just watching them."  
" You weren't the first one to get tagged out,"   
Chibi-usa complained.  
" She does have a point to this, Chibi-usa-chan,"   
Ami responded. " We did get in trouble because of our   
relying on our powers too much against the magi."  
" I know," the girl sighed and shrugged her head   
towards the lower end of the clearing. " I'm going to   
go down to the vans and get something to drink. Anybody   
want anything?"  
" Just bring the cooler, I'd guess," Rei said a   
moment later. " I think they'll be breaking it up pretty   
soon."   
" Want to bet on the outcome?" Ami asked her after   
the girl had left. Her eyes had an energetic sparkle, but   
it was the eagerness in her voice tipped Rei off.   
" No way," she said, laughing. " It almost isn't   
fair anymore. Hotaru is going to win it, just like she   
always does. Unless Mako-chan and Mamoru-san have gotten   
a lot better at this, it isn't even worth betting on."   
" That's true," Ami replied. " I wouldn't have   
even taken your money if you had bet on the outcome."   
" Inside info, huh? You did just give her a check   
up last week, after all."   
" Well," the girl in blue said as she leaned back   
against the tree that they were sitting under. " At the   
rate she's going, she's going to make the rest of us   
look like wimps in comparison."   
" She already does that well enough," Rei   
sarcastically reminded her, brushing a lock of her   
long, black hair away from her face. " She's been   
beating up on all of us for some time now."   
" Not as a Senshi, Rei," Ami softly replied,   
looking around quickly like she was making sure that   
nobody was listening to them. " She's the third   
strongest in our regular forms after Haruka-san and   
Mako-chan. In running, she's second only to Haruka-san.   
From what I know of her reaction speed, Mako-chan   
doesn't have a chance out there unless Hotaru-chan   
makes a mistake."  
Rei let out a low whistle and gave her a   
worried glance. " Makes you feel kind of inadequate."   
" Rei-chan!" Ami complained. " Don't talk like   
that. We'll learn to adapt to it, just like we always   
have. Remember when we first met Minako-chan?"  
" Yeah," she shrugged, thinking back to that time.   
Luna had felt that the four of them were getting too   
cocky due to fighting one youma at a time and set up   
an exercise during one of their workouts. It was the   
first four Senshi up against the two cats and Venus. At   
the time, they still didn't know much about the newcomer   
and were beaten several times by the teamwork between   
Artemis and his ward while Luna distracted the girls.   
The same thing had happened when they started   
working out with the three remaining Outer Senshi. It   
had taken them months to learn how to counter the   
uncanny level of coordination between Haruka and   
Michiru by not making the mistakes that left them   
vulnerable.  
" We'll be fine, Rei-chan," she said while   
pointing to her left. " See over there? That's the   
attitude to take about the whole thing."   
The priestess actually smiled at what she saw,   
despite still feeling uneasy from her vision yesterday.   
Both Michiru and Haruka held black belts in jujitsu   
and kenpo, so they were qualified to be instructors. It   
was just that this student was getting a very early   
start.  
Michiru was wearing a gi, and was kneeling next   
to Minako-chan and showing her the correct stance. As   
soon as the girl was able to stand relatively on her   
own she had begun trying to emulate the others during   
practice. Some of them had laughed at first until they   
saw how upset the girl got when she didn't get her time   
with whoever was the instructor.   
That led to her getting her own gi and her own   
lessons. She didn't know much more than a few stances   
and still fell down a lot when she tried to move quickly,   
but she kept on getting back up and trying it again. Right   
now, her hair was pulled back in a braid and she was   
frowning while she tried to understand what Michiru   
was trying to get her to do.  
  
***********************************************  
  
She grinned in triumph as she left the hospital,   
having accomplished the first part of her plan without   
a hitch. Her fingers began to undo the braid her auburn   
hair was in until it spread around her shoulders like   
it usually did. As she turned a corner onto the main   
street, her blouse changed back to the black like it   
usually was. She didn't like the red color she had worn,   
but understood the value of not sticking out in a crowd.   
People in hospitals didn't like seeing anyone   
wearing solid black clothes, and may have remembered   
her. It tended to remind them of policemen or   
undertakers. Her hair was unusual enough to stand   
out, and she was taking no chances on being   
discovered. There would be time later for the   
fighting, he had said. We can't jeopardize our   
efforts by letting her get a clue as to what was   
happening.  
Changing the schedule for the surgery department   
had been the first part of one of their deceptions. The   
computer system had proven easy to get into. Now, Dr.   
Mizuno was going to be the first doctor that would be   
called in case of an emergency that the staff on hand   
couldn't deal with, or if they got too busy.   
Busy wouldn't be the word for it, she decided. Chaos,   
bedlam, or maybe catastrophe would be better words. She   
stepped into an alley, vanished, and emerged in mid-air,   
standing high above one of the public parks near the   
hospital. It was crowded this morning, and why not? She   
had made sure that the sun was shining and the clouds   
didn't come near this portion of the city.   
Below her, a number of children played. Usually, it   
was their mothers with them today, or an occasional   
father. Most husbands were good salarymen, and were   
resting on this early Sunday morning after working   
the last six days.   
Decisions, decisions, she mused, looking below   
her. Initially, she was going to do it to some of the   
older children. It would be part of a payback for all the   
insults she had to endure when she was younger just because   
she was different. Carrot top was one of the favored   
slurs, and it was all because she was a little different   
from the others since she had hair that was almost red   
instead of black or brown like the rest of them.   
Her associate had reminded her that the younger   
children would make a better target for their plans,   
however. She agreed after thinking about it. Use their   
instincts and concerns against them. It would be far   
more effective.  
There. That sandbox would be a good start. None   
of the children were too old, and all of them appeared   
to be in good health. She shifted over until she was above   
it, and looked underneath the ground. As the municipal   
plans had shown, there was the gas line. Eyes narrowing,   
she pointed at the line, and a needle of invisible energy   
in the X-ray portion of the spectrum stabbed through the   
ground and nicked the pipe. An opening was made; the clue   
they would eventually find and think was the cause.  
Her next task was the hard part. Choosing a purple,   
concrete turtle as the center, she took several deep breaths   
and calmed her mind. Time seemed to slow around her as she   
speeded up her perceptions. Each of the toddlers was   
lightly wrapped in a field of protective energy as the   
turtle exploded. The blast sent their parents flying, and   
cracked the fields around them.   
She watched carefully, making sure that none of the   
children were actually killed as a result. That would be   
too easy on the doctor. Several bits of debris were   
vaporized by her before they could strike their targets.   
Only the smallest fragments were allowed to hit.   
Her work was well done, it seemed, as she looked   
over the crater. Some of the parents were hurt, but that   
didn't concern her as much. The prospects of some new   
orphans would hurt just as much as the injuries to the   
children themselves. Below, the crying were just beginning.   
A lone siren started up, making her snap her fingers at   
the memory of something she almost forgot.   
Turning to her left, she looked at one bridge that   
led to another district. It would be the most direct route   
for ambulances to take patients to the nearest hospital   
after the one she visited earlier. Casually, a wave of   
her hand blew apart a truck and damaged one of the spans.  
Taking all the extra patients to another hospital   
would make it too easy. She looked down again to admire   
her handiwork, not noticing the tears running down her   
face as a tiny part of her helplessly cried out in pain   
at what she had done.  
  
************************************************   
  
It had taken her nearly twenty minutes to find a   
spot she liked up on the side of the hill. She couldn't   
directly see into the clearing below where the others   
were currently at, but she heard an occasional shout or   
blast of power. They had driven up here early in the   
morning in order to have a chance to practice in some   
degree of privacy.   
They were currently on government land, although   
the only way to get there ran through privately owned   
property. She didn't ask where the Outers had found out   
about it, and she conveniently didn't listen when Haruka   
mentioned it. There were just too many things she wanted   
to think about today, so she had let her mind wander and   
slipped away during practice.  
There was going to be another fight soon. She   
didn't know who it would be against, but they would be   
in battle again. Somehow, she would have to make sure   
what happened the last time would never happen again.  
They'd hear her if she screamed in frustration   
like she wanted to right now, so she settled for sitting   
down in a patch of shade a few meters away from the   
trunk of a tree. Makoto was right about not liking to   
wait. It was getting on her nerves.   
She pulled the clip out of her hair and let it   
cascade down onto the ground around her. It wasn't in   
her usual style, but just falling loose. The hum of the   
insects and a bird's chirping set her more at ease as she   
thought about one of her problems.  
All of them had a destiny to fulfill, but she   
couldn't bear to let them do it again at such a cost.   
First it was Hotaru, and then Setsuna and Minako. Which   
of the others would get the foolish notion that they   
could save all of them by sacrificing their life this   
time? The other Inners had proven themselves as willing   
as Minako, and the Outers were crazy enough to do it as   
well.  
She sighed loudly and tried to think it through.   
That was when someone grabbed her and pulled her over   
onto the ground. She screamed as her assailant rolled   
over on top of her and forcefully pinned her shoulders   
to the ground.   
" Baka!" she hissed, glaring down at the smaller   
girl with her face only a few centimeters away. It took   
Usagi a few moments to start breathing again. " What have   
I told you, Odango-chan?"  
" Haruka-san," she stammered, feeling ashamed and   
like she wanted to cry. They were supposed to be training   
up here, and she had been told that Michiru or Haruka   
would be trying to surprise her at some point.   
She had not, however, actually started to cry, so   
she was quite shocked when she felt a tear hit her face   
and begin working it's way down her cheek. The woman's   
eyes were a swirling mix of emotions as anger and worry   
battled each other, and it scared her to recognize fear   
as well.  
" I'm not going to lose you again," she said in   
a low, thick voice, forcing out the words with great   
difficulty. " I've come too close too many times, Usagi,   
and given up too much."  
" Haruka-" she started to say.   
" No," the sandy blonde interrupted her, but her   
voice was caring and warm this time instead of the   
harshness of her first words. " Don't say anything,   
Odango-chan. Just don't leave yourself so wide open."   
She was about to explain when Haruka suddenly and   
quickly kissed her. That brought her to a complete,   
surprised stop as the other woman pulled back with that   
infuriating grin back on her face, the same one she   
used when she was teasing someone she actually liked.   
Despite her best efforts, Usagi knew that her   
face was looking like someone hit the reset switch on   
her brain right now. That had happened the other two   
times Haruka had done this to her. While she had   
seemingly been joking at those two times, she had   
learned enough about the woman over the last three   
years to understand one very important thing about   
her. She only did things like this to people that she   
really cared for.   
Haruka still did flirt with the girls who   
continued to fall for 'him' when they didn't realize   
just what she was at first. There was a point that she   
wouldn't go past, however. She might string them along   
for a little bit, but she never let it go for too long   
in order to assure that nobody was seriously hurt.  
" What did you do that for?" she asked a few moments   
later. For now, she would let Haruka think she thought it   
was still just a joke like the times before. She wouldn't   
bring up the fact that the kiss tasted like the tear that   
had left a wet trail down the cheek of the tall woman.  
" It made you think, didn't it?" Haruka responded,   
sitting back and pulling her to a sitting position as   
well. Usagi's hair had some leaves and grass in it, and   
some of the strands had gotten loosely tangled. She moved   
around behind her and set to work on straightening it out.   
" Yes, it does," she replied, and then started   
working up the nerve to ask something that had been in   
her thoughts for a while now. " You haven't called me   
odango-chan for a long time."   
" You haven't been acting like a child for a while,   
so I stopped."  
" Haruka-san," she began, forcing herself to say the   
words. " Just before this whole thing started and my life   
changed, I was at a costume party. Were you the one who   
was dancing with me that night?"  
" Maybe," the woman shrugged and went back to her   
work.   
" Maybe?"  
" It depends," she said, and Usagi could almost   
feel her smile. " Is Mamoru-san still mad at me?"  
" It was you!" she exclaimed and laughed, feeling   
one less burden about her past lift away from her. This   
one wasn't related to her usual memory losses from being   
reincarnated, however. She had such a good time for two   
dances that she didn't remember most of that evening.  
Now, she could get to what she wanted to know. " You   
were there the whole time, then. Why didn't you come to   
us when you saw us working as Senshi? Maybe, if we were   
together, none of this would have happened like this."  
The other woman stopped braiding her hair,   
presumably to think about this. She did feel Haruka   
slump forward a bit and put her hands on her shoulders   
in a comforting grip. She began to work at massaging   
and loosening up the muscles, although it seemed to be   
done by reflex more than intent. When the other woman   
spoke, her voice was unusually hesitant.   
" We had our own mission, and we knew how important   
it was to keep the god of ruin from awakening. That made   
us concentrate on our own task. We didn't know that you   
were the princess."  
" I didn't, either. None of us did, although   
Minako-chan said she was the princess at first in order   
to protect me."  
" Well, you had us confused as well. I didn't   
remember all of you and what you looked like back on   
the moon. We didn't know what to make of Sailor Moon   
at first, either. There was never a Sailor Moon among   
the Senshi at the time of the Silver Millennium.  
" I remembered Venus and Mercury, but I'd known   
them for a while. They were almost as old as I was back   
then and were chosen early like Michiru. Jupiter looked   
familiar, though. The one I didn't understand was who   
was pretending to be Mars when I first saw Rei-chan."   
" Pretending? What do you mean?"  
" You were too young to remember Mars'   
predecessor," Haruka smiled at the fond memory. " She   
passed on about five or six years before Rei was finally   
chosen, and she started fading pretty badly while you   
were still very young. She was this big, burly blonde   
woman who looked like the fat lady in an opera, and she   
didn't take anything from anybody. Not even me. I knew   
her a lot longer, and far better, than I had known   
Rei-chan.  
" Anyway, that's why we didn't join up with you. The   
Inner Senshi were back, but there was no sign of the   
princess. As long as it was just us Senshi, we'd stay   
apart and take care of our own mission. For all we knew,   
you were Saturn, since we didn't recognize Mars. Maybe   
we weren't all coming back in the same bodies.   
" When we did find out that Sailor Moon was   
actually the princess, it was too late for us to do   
anything. We still didn't know that you were Sailor   
Moon, and you had already left to go against Beryl.   
Tomoe-sensei and the Deathbusters chose that moment   
to unleash a new generation of daemon eggs as part   
of their search for the talismans. We didn't sleep   
for a week as we tracked down and fought all those   
eggs."  
" That wasn't his fault, Haruka-san," she replied,   
catching the hint of anger in her voice. She turned around   
so they were facing each other. " He did all that to save   
Hotaru-chan."  
" Yeah, I know," she admitted. " Tomoe-sensei is a   
good man at heart. He wanted to save his daughter, and   
she turns out to be the god of ruin and the bringer of   
the Silence, Sailor Saturn."   
" I never knew how much that you had gone   
through," Usagi said. " Thank you for sharing that   
with me."  
Haruka looked away from her and tried to put the   
usual bantering tone back into her voice. It came out   
bitter instead. " It was nothing, odango-atama. I'm just   
good at beating people up. That's my job, remember?"   
She wanted to yell at her that she was wrong, but   
realized that doing so would be a grave mistake right   
now. For some reason, the woman was opening up to her   
right now and letting her in behind the defenses that   
normally held everyone away. Well, not everyone. Haruka   
did confide in Michiru, but never let the others in   
close like this.   
At the moment, she wished she was one of the   
others. Ami's reasoning could figure out what would   
be the best thing to say, or Rei's experience at the   
shrine would provide the answer. Minako had been one   
of their best at understanding people. All she had   
right now was herself.   
" Haruka," she began, painfully aware of how   
important it was for her to not drive her away by   
saying the wrong things. Right now, she really wished   
that the other side of her, the part that was or would   
become the princess, was going to take over like it had   
a few times before. " That's not true. We are what we   
are today because of what you've done for us.  
" You've shown us how to be strong, and how to   
make ourselves better. You do so much more than just   
fight well. Michiru is only so good at things because   
of your support of her. She's admitted it to me, and I   
know that she's told you that.   
" I've never told anyone this," she admitted a few   
moments later after deciding that Haruka didn't look   
convinced enough yet. " Just after Hotaru jumped in to   
fight Pharaoh Ninety, I looked back at you after I had   
finished trying to power up. You looked so sad, Haruka-san.   
I've never seen such a look of despair on your face.   
" The only thing that I could think was that I'd done   
so many stupid things up until then, and that the look on   
your face was my fault. I gave the Grail to Mistress Nine.   
I gave her the one thing that they needed to destroy the   
planet when I could have stopped them.  
" Suddenly I realized how much was really at stake,   
and how much it hurt you for us to lose. You showed me   
that, Haruka-san. I couldn't give up after seeing you   
like that, so I tried powering up again, just one more   
time, so that I could somehow make it up to you for   
giving up the Grail."  
" It worked, too," the tall woman replied. " Thank   
you, Usa."   
" 'Usa'?" she asked. " Isn't that awfully familiar   
of you?"  
" No," Haruka laughed and pulled her in and hugged   
her. It wasn't part of a joke, but rather one that was   
warm and comforting. She relaxed as she put her arms   
around her and hugged back. " Don't spend all your time   
worrying about us, Usagi-chan. You'll only end up in   
trouble like that. We'll be all right. Just concentrate   
on doing your part, and everything will work out."   
  
************************************************  
  
" Jesus!" the man yelled, looking out the doors   
that led to the emergency department. They had heard   
the reports, but hadn't believed them at first. They   
didn't want to believe them, actually. Nobody in their   
right mind would want to.   
The sight of six ambulances pulling into the   
parking lot, and the sounds of more sirens coming   
towards them were tangible proof that it was going   
to be worse than they feared. The orderly went pale   
at what he saw next, and ran back to begin to get some   
help in getting gurneys out into the lot.   
" What are you doing?" one of the nurses called out,   
holding her hand over the phone she was using to try and   
get any of the staff they could into the hospital.  
" They just brought in a bus full of kids," the man   
yelled out over his shoulder, making the room go silent.   
" A busload?" Dr. Mizuno gasped as she ran into the   
ER. " What about St. Bartholomew? Why aren't they sending   
anyone there?"  
" The bridge is out," one of the other doctors   
said to her, tossing over a box of surgical gloves. " A   
tanker truck is on fire. It's completely engulfed in   
flames. We'd better get started. You and I are the only   
ones here right now with trauma training."   
" This is like a war," she whispered to herself   
when they walked out the doors and into the confusion.   
Her night had already been difficult due to a suicide   
bombing by someone who thought that the destruction of   
the island yesterday meant that the end of the world was   
near. The man had strapped on several sticks of old   
dynamite he got somewhere and walked into the middle   
of a mall before hitting the detonator. Only two sticks   
went off, but it was enough.  
She had worked until two in the morning in surgery,   
and had barely gotten home to catch some sleep when the   
call came from the hospital. She paused, feeling herself   
cringe inside at the amount of suffering she saw. Right   
now, she just wanted out of here and away from all that   
pain.  
" Mizuno-sensei?" one of her friends on the nursing   
staff softly called her name as she put the doctor's long,   
black hair up into a ponytail. " Are you all right?"  
" Yes," she stammered, bringing herself back to the   
task at hand. The paramedics had a good start on things   
already, and had transported the worst cases. She ran   
over to them, calling out instructions as the first of   
the medevac helicopters came overhead and gave her an   
idea. Maybe they could airlift some of their patients   
if the bridge was out.   
  
************************************************  
  
" So, what do they know about it, Ami-chan?" Makoto   
asked impatiently as she came into the room after taking   
a shower. She still wore a damp towel wrapped around her.   
The girl with the blue hair had made a beeline for the   
computer when they got back after their workout while the   
rest of them got cleaned up.   
" Well," she responded, her mind still partially on   
the data displayed on the terminal in front of her. " It   
wasn't a nuke, just like I thought."   
" Any idea what it was, then?"  
" Ever play with a magnifying glass when you were   
little?" Ami responded, entering some commands.   
" Yeah, but not to fry any ants," she said, taking   
a seat on the desk by Ami and crossing her legs.  
" Well, as gross as it sounds, that is basically   
what someone did here. Watch this."   
The monitor displayed what Makoto realized was an   
image of the sun seen through a filter due to the spots   
and a small flare. The yellowish-green circle of light   
began to shrink until it went dark for a few moments, and   
then grew from a central point again until it was like it   
had been at the beginning.   
" That was from a solar observatory in Hawaii," the   
girl explained, tapping in some more commands.   
" How could the sun go out?" she asked, puzzled, and   
looked down at Ami.   
" It didn't go out, Mako-chan. Somehow, the entire   
energy output of the sun, at least on the side facing us,   
was directed into a single, narrow beam that passed   
between us and the Moon.   
" All that energy fried the optical systems on the   
satellites, so I don't have a clear idea of what happened   
next. I believe that the energy was redirected downwards   
to hit the island."   
" And that was what destroyed it? If it was sort of   
like a big laser, doesn't it have to be on a single   
wavelength?" she asked, remembering her science   
classes. " The sun puts out energy all over the spectrum   
from what I recalled."  
" It doesn't need to be on one wavelength. It was   
sheer heat, Mako-chan. The island was literally cooked   
away in an instant."  
" The people, too," Usagi added from the doorway,   
her voice sad as she finished tying the sash to her robe   
and walked over to the TV.   
" The island isn't gone all the way," Ami went   
on. " There's an American carrier fleet there already.   
They report that the water is about a hundred fathoms   
deep, or about two hundred meters, where the atoll used   
to be."  
They both looked over at her when Usagi gasped in   
shock. " Ami! This is your mom's hospital!"   
" What?" Ami replied, walking over to her just in   
time to see the scene shift to the crater in the park. A   
caption on the screen said that the scene was recorded   
earlier, but that did nothing to lessen the impact of   
seeing so many people lying on the ground, and all the   
ambulances.  
" Oh, no!" Ami whispered, her face going pale. " I   
have to go, Usagi-chan. My mom will need me."   
" Ami-chan?" the blonde asked. " What's wrong?"  
" She's been having some... problems lately,   
Usagi-chan. This isn't going to be easy for her," she   
admitted, whirling and running out of the room with an   
embarrassed look on her face. They heard her calling out   
for Haruka to give her a ride as she ran down the hallway.  
  
***********************************************  
  
" Did you like the movie, Chibi-chan?"  
" Any movie would have been fine tonight,   
Hota-chan," she laughed at the pet names they used   
to call each other and almost skipped down the steps   
of the theater.  
" Any movie? Why is that?"  
" An audience makes it more fun," the girl   
giggled, grabbing her friend's arm and turning them   
towards the mall since it was still open. They had   
the night ahead of them, and she didn't mind having   
a chaperone right now.   
She understood the necessity for being able to   
stay in contact with the others, and was very grateful   
when Haruka had said that she needed to be with someone   
for only that reason, and not her ineptitude in a fight.   
She had practically glowed at the implied compliment,   
feeling herself move a step closer towards being able   
to be a real part of the Senshi.   
" Is it that lonely in the future?" Hotaru asked,   
getting a little sad. She still felt guilty about what   
their enemies had almost made her do, and the knowledge   
of what was supposed to happen reminded her of those   
times.  
" In some ways," she replied, pushing open the   
doors and looking around, getting her bearings. The   
ice cream store at the far end hadn't moved. She smiled   
before speaking again, but was still a little sad,   
too. " There still aren't a lot of people awake, and   
definitely not enough for showing movies."  
" Chibi-usa-chan," she tentatively began, holding   
up her hand so she could talk without being   
interrupted. " I know I can't ask you about the   
future and what happens, but I hope that I'm there   
for you so we can still be friends."   
" Thank you, Hotaru-chan," she whispered, resting   
her head against her friend's shoulder for a   
moment. " When did you get so tall?" she asked,   
taking her hand.  
" Me?" Hotaru giggled. " What about you?"  
" I asked you first," she teased. " Are you   
going to regular school yet?"  
" No," the girl with the black hair shrugged. " I   
still haven't stopped growing, so we don't know what age   
to say I am yet. Ami thinks I'm slowing down, so maybe   
next semester in the fall."   
" So what do you do now during the day?"  
" I take care of Minako while Michiru and Haruka   
are at school, and get private tutoring three nights a   
week. We pretend that it's just to help me out in my   
regular schoolwork so the tutor doesn't get suspicious,   
but it's hard.   
" I need to go to school for the same reasons   
you're here, Chibi-usa-chan," she pensively added a   
few moments later. " I need to get better at learning   
to understand people, too."   
" Well, we're both off to a good start in that   
regards," the girl announced, and swerved towards the   
shop like she planned. " We became friends with each   
other. And, since we're both still growing young ladies,   
we need some ice cream."  
" Chibi-usa-chan!" the owner's voice boomed out of   
the shop as they walked up to it and sat at the counter. He   
hadn't forgotten one of his best, and favorite customers. You   
just don't forget someone with a hairstyle and an appetite   
like hers. " Your usual?"  
" Yes!" she smiled happily, spinning on the stool   
before stopping facing the mall so she could watch all   
the people. That had been one of the things she looked   
forward to the most, right after seeing her family,   
friends and a banana split with triple fudge.  
  
************************************************  
  
The two girls in the ice cream shop didn't notice   
a woman they had passed on the way to the mall making   
her way up the stairs leading to the third level. She   
turned at the top and walked over to a railing from   
which she could watch them through red eyes that were   
hidden behind dark sunglasses.   
She wore a snug black halter top and shorts, much   
to the delight of a group of young men who had stopped   
to ogle her. Black heels and braided hair completed the   
disguise that had fooled the girls so well. They were so   
used to seeing her in stylish dresses that resembled   
business suits that they hadn't even looked at her twice   
when they were only a few meters away from her.  
One of the young men, bolder than the rest, worked   
up his courage and approached her. She didn't seem to   
hear what he said at first, so he began to repeat his   
well-practiced line. The woman merely turned to look at   
him and coolly slid her glasses down with one hand so   
she could peer over them at him.  
She held his gaze for a few moments before turning   
back to the courtyard below and her contemplation. He   
walked away after standing there for a minute. His mind   
truly couldn't decide which was the worst thing right   
now. It was either the pain he felt from her rejection   
of him in front of his friends, or the pain he felt in   
a sudden rush of sympathy for her due to the pain in   
her own eyes.   
  
************************************************  
  
She was so tired her bones hurt, she decided,   
staggering down the hall to her office after taking a   
shower. One of the nurses had taken her clothes and   
purse there shortly after she arrived this morning. The   
rest of the day was a painful blur.  
She wasn't supposed to be on call today, but there   
had been a mix-up somewhere, and she was the first one   
they had called. The fact that they ended up calling in   
every doctor they could was of little consolation that   
morning. Her hangover wasn't strong, but it refused to go   
away until she saw the news.  
After that, she got to work as soon as she could. One   
of their orthopedic specialists had actually served in the   
UN during a conflict when he was younger, and he likened   
the situation to a war zone. His summation was far too   
accurate for her liking.   
The most deviant, mentally diseased terrorist   
couldn't have come up with a better plan than what   
happened today due to blind luck. She would be eternally that there weren't any casualties from the   
explosion due to a leaking gas main under the park, but   
that almost made it worse. Normally, as much as it   
horrified her to say it, there should have been some   
dead among the injured.   
People who had been fifty meters away had been   
hit and injured by debris or the concussive force of   
the blast. She'd treated industrial accidents before,   
and knew something of what kind of a force was involved   
in covering that much area. The children close to the   
center of the explosion should have been killed.   
The sheer number of wounded people had clogged their   
facility. The first helicopter broke down on the roof, so   
they couldn't fly out any of their patients until a   
suitable alternative landing pad had been found. The   
closure of that one bridge snarled all the vehicle   
traffic around them for kilometers.  
Since it was a Sunday, many of the other doctors   
were out of town and couldn't get back quickly. They   
couldn't make use of the ones who had volunteered because   
they hadn't been properly accredited at that facility,   
and allowing them to operate would have jeopardized the   
hospital's malpractice insurance coverage.   
To top it all off, she had been the best one there   
for taking care of some of the worst cases. She was proud   
of her skill as a pediatric surgeon, and she had saved   
several lives today, but it had been like hell for her.  
Her fingers shook as she fumbled with her keys, and   
finally opened the door. To her surprise, her desk was   
neat. All the files were neatly arranged into categories,   
and the reason why was sleeping on her couch. She smiled,   
looking fondly at her daughter.   
She sank into her chair with a sigh of relief, and   
slid open the bottom drawer to the desk. It wasn't there,   
she realized. She must have finished it last night, or   
very early this morning. Truthfully, she couldn't   
remember which one it was right now. Plenty more at   
home, though.  
" Ami-chan," she called out softly, waking her   
daughter. " Let's go home, dear."   
" Okay, Mom," was the sleepy reply. Ami got up,   
collected her mother's coat and purse, and steered them   
towards the parking lot. She almost decided to get a   
wheelchair, but she managed to get her mother to her   
car.   
" I'll drive," she decided, taking the keys and   
helping her into the passenger side seat. She got in   
herself and buckled them in. Those lessons from Haruka   
were going to pay off, it seemed. She didn't have a car,   
but she had learned to drive as soon as she could.  
The drive was a short one, thankfully, and was soon   
over. She didn't have a license, or at least one that was   
valid in Japan, so she had gotten lucky. Hopefully, her   
luck would last the night.   
It didn't, however. She went to put her mother's   
things away in her room when she heard the sound of a   
glass breaking in the kitchen.   
" Are you all right, Mother?" she called out,   
making her way to that side of the condo.  
" What did you do with it, Ami?" her mother asked,   
her voice dangerously low.   
Ami blushed and stood her ground. " I poured it   
down the sink when I came home earlier today."   
" Why?" her mother said, walking over towards   
her. " If I want a drink-"   
" You don't need it," Ami cried out, cutting her   
off. " You've had too much already lately, Mother. You   
can't go on like this any more. It isn't good for you,   
and you're only hurting-"   
" If I want a drink in my own house, I'll damn well   
have a drink!" her mother exploded, slapping her across   
the face. " Get out, you ungrateful child!"   
Ami's mind was moving as she watched the blow   
come. Her training told her several ways to deal with   
it, but then her heart got caught up on the fact that   
it was her mother who was hitting her, and all she   
could do was to let it land.  
" ...only hurting yourself," Ami finished in a   
whisper before raising a hand to her reddened cheek. The   
girl turned and ran out of the room, and was silent   
although she looked like she was about to cry. Her   
mother heard the front door close, and not slam,   
behind her. She collapsed to the floor, wondering   
where everything had gone so wrong.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Good night, Artemis," she called out and   
closed the door to her room, taking the little girl   
with her. The cat sighed and settled down in his   
latest favorite spot in Makoto's apartment. The back   
of the recliner gave him a measure of warning before   
the little blond terror could reach him. He was grateful   
for a place to sleep, although he hadn't realized that   
Makoto had her again so soon.  
Merely being around his old house proved to be   
difficult for him. Her parents had even begun to think   
that he had wandered away until he made it a part of   
his routine to run into them a few times each week. He   
had gone inside once, and the painful memories hit him   
so hard that he had to leap out of a window in order to   
escape them.  
The saddest part for him, though, was that he had   
believed that the house would be the hardest thing to   
deal with. It turned out that her ghost was haunting   
him instead of her old residence.   
He had tried staying with her at first. His   
discovery that Minako no longer carried any trace of   
Venus had been very painful to bear, but the only hope   
he had was that she would regain her memories someday.   
That hope gave him the strength to keep going on.  
It quickly became apparent to him that he couldn't   
continue to be with her all the time. Seeing her reminded   
him of everything he had lost. Her fixation on him, which   
at first he hoped was a sign of better things to come,   
soon became another straw upon his back.  
Since he knew he couldn't carry such a load, he   
had cut back his time spent with her. The Outers were   
doing most of the work raising the girl, but they lived   
too far away for him to easily walk to their residences.   
You can't call it a home when you only stayed there a   
few months at a time.  
Michiru and Haruka had been in the habit of moving   
between several houses ever since they had begun fighting   
the Deathbusters. They would spend a few months in one   
before going on to the next in one of several houses that   
Setsuna had set up for them when they began their   
mission. They usually had Minako at nights and during   
the weekends, so he wasn't able to see her too often   
while they had her.  
Hotaru watched her during the school days, and he   
would sometimes have her pick him up so he could help   
her out with keeping an eye on Minako for a few   
hours. While Hotaru still spent a lot of time with   
Michiru and Haruka, she had moved out a little over   
a year ago into a penthouse suite down near the harbor.   
It had been an old office building at first until an   
entrepreneur purchased and converted it into luxury   
condominiums with an upscale shopping mall on the   
lower floors.  
Afterwards, he'd get a ride back towards his usual   
territory from one of them. The other girls would often   
give the Outers a break by taking her for a while at   
night, or on the weekends. Makoto usually was the one   
who ended up with her for overnight stays, though. She   
was the only one who had her own place and no parents   
to deal with.  
The brunette even opened up her home to him. It   
was an ideal place in his mind, and the food was very   
good, but he only spent a few nights a week there. To   
keep from dwelling on his loss, he had thrown himself   
into some kind of work.   
Luna would have objected, but he set up a loose   
perimeter patrol outside of hers at Usagi's, along with   
keeping tabs on the houses of the other Inner Senshi. He   
also took up studying with Ami, although his work was   
more on the theoretical side. Like the girl with the   
blue hair, he had a distinct appreciation of mathematics.  
Tonight, though, he wished he wasn't as good with   
it. Juggling a complicated formula in his head would be   
good at taking his mind off of everything, just like his   
hunting forays did. Instead, he kept his thoughts on the   
little girl behind the closed door, and the memories of   
when they were together.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan!" the cat softly cried   
out. When that didn't wake her up, she jumped up next   
to the sleeping girl on the bed. The temptation to use   
her claws was great, but she bravely resisted it and   
lightly swatted her on the nose. " Usagi!"   
" Huh? What?" Usagi murmured, shaking her head and   
waking up. " I was having the nicest dream, too. What is   
it, Luna?"   
A slight tapping sound on the window itself brought   
Usagi completely awake, and she instinctively reached for   
her broach.   
" That," the cat said, sniffing.   
" Who is it?" Usagi softly asked. Someone outside   
said something, but she couldn't make it out. She was   
about to ask who it was again when Luna jumped to the   
windowsill.   
" It's Ami-chan," she gasped, pulling back the   
curtain with her teeth. " Usagi, open the window."   
" Ami-chan?" Usagi called out, throwing back her   
covers and going to the window. She could just make out   
that whoever was silhouetted by the glow of the streetlight   
had short hair like Ami. She drew back the bolt and swung   
open the windows.   
" What's wrong, Ami-chan?" the cat asked, beginning   
to get worried. Hanging around on rooftops wasn't her   
style. It was a school night, for heaven's sake. Ami   
was usually in bed by now.  
The girl didn't respond. All she did was slip   
forward into the room and stand there. Usagi reached   
over and turned on the light, revealing a miserable look   
on Ami's face and a bruise that was beginning to turn to   
an ugly purple shade.   
" Ami?" she gasped and instinctively reached towards   
her friend. Ami collapsed against her, sending both of them   
to the floor as she began to sob. Usagi could only sit,   
watch, and whispered comforting words to her as her friend   
lay with her head in her lap and cried like she never had   
before.  
  
************************************************  
  
Stopping only to get her fanny pack from the closet   
by the door, the girl ran out the door and down the long   
set of steps from the shrine to the street below. It was   
nice out this morning, and the light from the sunrise was   
clear and steady. She turned left at the bottom of the   
hill towards another a few kilometers away.   
Doing this on a Monday morning was unusual, but it   
was spring break. She'd do her usual weekend routine of   
exercises every morning for the next two weeks in order   
to make up for lost time. The ankle that she sprained a   
few weeks ago wasn't bad, but it did keep her from doing   
her normal running, and she'd put on a kilo that she   
wanted to get rid of.   
You should have said no to Mako-chan a few times   
about dinner, she reminded herself, or at least shown a   
little more control. She'd eaten like Usagi over there,   
and the results showed.   
" Stop it, Rei-chan," she admonished herself out   
loud. It was too nice a morning, even with what had   
happened over the weekend. She didn't have the nightmare   
about everything freezing over last night, and felt   
amazingly refreshed this morning. Those dreams had been   
keeping her from doing her morning jog as much as the   
bad ankle had been.   
Feeling energetic, she made a turn and took the   
steps up to the park at the top of the hill two at a   
time. She'd been here a few times before, but never in   
the capacity that the designers had intended. It was   
called Lover's Park, and was the place that Naru and   
Umino had won a contest on it's opening day.   
She and Yuuichiro had their own favorite spots,   
although, and hadn't come to this place together. Still,   
it should have been like any park this early in the   
morning. It should have been deserted, or only a few   
other joggers going through it. Maybe a couple finishing   
up a late night, or enjoying an early morning stroll   
together.   
What it shouldn't have was a cloud of smoke rising   
up from the rubble where the heart shaped statue had   
been. A young man was standing there in a black school   
uniform, idly twirling a long thin braid of black hair   
and looking at a young woman with an exasperated look on   
his face that clearly asked if she felt that was   
necessary.  
The woman caught her eye, though. She wore black   
with gold trim and highlights on her clothes and the   
pauldrons over her shoulders. Her hair was waist length   
and auburn, and it was the same hair that she had seen   
the previous Friday.   
" Hamaji?" she called out, starting forward. The   
woman turned towards to her while the man walked over to   
the steps of the dais that the heart used to rest on and   
sat down.  
" Hamaji isn't here," she said, stopping a few   
meters away. " Hamaji went away a long time ago, Mars."  
" Mars?" she asked, hoping that it was just some   
mistake or a joke. Her worst fears were confirmed when   
the woman went on.   
" I'm not stupid, Rei," she yelled before visibly   
calming herself. " I was never stupid. It wasn't my fault   
that nuns aren't very good teachers and I got poorer grades   
than you."   
" Flare," the man called out with a touch of   
reprimand in his voice.   
" I know," the redhead called out over her shoulder,   
and turned her attention back to the priestess. " Call   
the Senshi, Mars. We need to have a talk."  
" And if I don't?" she asked, needing some kind of   
confirmation that this wasn't just a hoax. She didn't   
want to jeopardize their lives if this was a trap, either.  
Flare turned and pointed at the spire of the Tokyo   
Tower. A painfully bright blast of light from her hand   
severed the antennae at the top from it's base. " The next   
shot will be at the base, Rei. The one after that be at   
the nearest refinery. Propane storage tanks tend to   
messy when they explode. Lots of casualties.   
" It's that, or call the Senshi. Your choice, Mars."  
She reached into her pocket, her decision having   
long been made.  
  
************************************************   
  
" Ami! I didn't hear you come in."   
" I... I came in earlier," was all she could   
manage as she took the offered seat at the kitchen   
table. She was able to fit into one of Usagi's school   
uniforms, so she had something to wear that made her   
look like it was a normal morning. She wasn't really   
saying a lie, but didn't say the whole truth, either. She   
really didn't like that.  
" She's real eager to get to school today, Mom,"   
Usagi chirped as she sat down next to Ami. " We have a   
test today, and then it's two weeks of freedom because   
they're re-wiring the place for the Internet."  
" Would you like breakfast, Ami-chan?" the woman   
asked turning and glancing over her shoulder. " Kenji   
left early for work, and Shingo is still asleep because   
he doesn't have school today, so it won't be anything   
fancy, but... "   
Her voice trailed off as she finally saw the left   
side of Ami's face. " Ami?"  
The blue-haired girl ran through several plausible   
excuses before abandoning them for the truth. Usagi's   
mother had always been kind and polite to her, and didn't   
deserve the deception. " I got into a fight last night   
with my mother," she quietly said. " I stayed the night   
here with Usagi-chan."   
The woman almost began to cry, but instead gathered   
the girl into a warm, caring embrace. " I'm so sorry,   
Ami-chan. I'm sure she didn't mean it."  
Ami stiffened at her touch, but then relaxed and   
put her arms around the woman. It felt good to be held,   
although she was guilty that it wasn't her own mother   
she had been able to go to for consoling.  
The reason that she tensed up at first, though,   
wasn't just the embrace. She began to feel something in   
her dimensional pocket begin to vibrate. Usagi had felt   
it, too, since her communicator was doing the same thing.   
Their eyes met through the veil of Ikuko's hair.  
" Usagi!" Chibi-usa called out as she ran down the   
stairs from her room. She was pulling a light sweater over   
herself at the same time. Luna was only a step behind her.   
" Thank you, Ikuko-mama," Ami whispered, using the   
affectionate nickname that some of them playfully used with   
Usagi's mother, especially Rei and Makoto. It was her first   
time saying it, though.  
" We'll get something to eat after class, Mom," Usagi   
called out. " We only have to be there for homeroom and to   
take a test."   
" I'm going, too," Chibi-usa said and smiled at   
them. " I'll get some odango and wait for them at school."   
" Odango?" Usagi giggled after they left and broke   
into a run. " Is that all you could think of?"   
" We don't have time for that," Luna reminded   
them. " That was Rei's communicator. She hit the PANIC   
button."   
" She's at Lover's Park," Ami declared, deciphering   
the information on the display of her own   
communicator. " Artemis' triangulation upgrade is   
working fine on giving us her position."   
What is she doing up there? Usagi asked herself   
as they turned a corner. It was only about five   
kilometers away, but it also probably meant missing   
school. She'd have to come up with some excuse for   
not being there, and ironically recalled that she   
was looking forward to the test today. She'd even   
studied.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Good morning, my lovelies," he called out,   
sliding open the glass door to the balcony and greeting   
his latest botanical projects. It was spring, and they   
were eagerly growing. Sure, it meant more work in the   
care and proper pruning, but the look on Usagi's face   
whenever he gave her one of his home grown roses was   
worth it.   
He'd been busy yesterday after their workout, and   
hadn't been able to do this for the plants. It was getting   
overdue. At least his daughter was far better at   
understanding the demands on his time than she used to   
be. Before, she'd have been crying and fighting in order   
to be with him.   
She went off with her mother instead, and then was   
with Hotaru during the evening. His evening had been spent   
in the library. The conversation with Setsuna on Saturday   
morning had narrowed down his lines of research. As much   
as he hated what was probably going to happen, he had to   
be prepared for it.  
In the early evening, he had physically moved all   
the materials that were now extraneous out of the library.   
Then, he spent almost four hours working his ideas and   
theories out on paper before he was able to construct   
the framework of the actual spell.  
A sudden, startling premonition hit him like an   
electrical shock. The clippers fell to the floor as he   
took one of the roses. Such beauty, and such power, he   
reminded himself, thinking of all the things that he was   
fighting for. Love and life, concentrated into one potent   
symbol.   
A black cape fluttered in the breeze as he took a   
deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling for the siren   
call of his heart's desire. Ground and center, he reminded   
himself, recalling his lessons and experiments. Moments   
later, the roses on his balcony were alone once more,   
reaching towards the light.  
  
************************************************  
  
" No, I don't like it," she responded, the slight   
raise in her voice a clear sign of how upset she was. The   
noise from the engine starting in the garage below rattled   
the windows of the room. " I agree with your reasoning,   
but I don't have to like it. We'll see you there."  
She took the stairs three at a time after closing   
the doors, and vaulted over the railing instead of   
bothering with the lower half of them. Haruka had just   
hit the remote to close the garage door when Michiru   
landed next to her and hopped onto the back of the   
motorcycle.   
" And?" Haruka asked, hitting the throttle and   
tearing out of the driveway and onto the street. The   
streets were relatively crowded, so she kept her   
attention on traffic as she wove in and out of it.   
" Hotaru told Makoto to bring her along," she   
yelled into Haruka's ear. It was the only way to be   
heard over the shrill whine of the engine as it was   
downshifted. They both leaned into the turn, and then   
Haruka cursed as she skidded to a stop.  
" Damn," she screamed out in rage. The road ahead   
was totally blocked by an accident between a tanker   
truck and another car. There were several police cars   
trying to re-direct traffic.   
" Feel like living dangerously?" Haruka asked,   
taking out her scepter.   
" Don't we always?" Michiru produced hers in response.   
" Uranus Crystal Power..."   
" Neptune Crystal Power..."   
" Make-Up!" they cried out in unison as the blonde   
twisted the throttle and swerved to the left among a cloud   
of cherry blossoms. She bunny-hopped the curb into a hole   
in the oncoming traffic, swung around a bus and accelerated   
into the large gap she had seen coming.   
As they blew past the accident, Neptune waved to their   
friend in the traffic division as he watched them go by with   
his mouth open in surprise. They only had to dodge one more   
car until they were able to pass the accident and slip back   
onto the correct side on the road. Uranus took advantage of   
the lack of traffic on this side due to the accident to   
really crank up the engine in order to make up the lost   
time.   
" Tsujimoto, Nakajima, go!" the senior officer at   
the site barked, releasing the two motorcycle troopers who   
had just pulled up to go in pursuit. None of the officers   
saw an unusual, ornate set of wooden doors that weren't in   
the brick wall when they arrived close and vanish. On the   
other side of those same doors, a woman with long, dark   
green hair slid down with her back against the door until   
she was sitting on the ground.  
She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to   
cry. Once again, they were going to need her and she   
couldn't be there. Knowing the reasons why she couldn't   
be with them didn't help with the pain like it used to.  
  
************************************************  
  
Jupiter and Saturn were waiting for them at the   
foot of the stairs leading up to the park. Artemis was   
perched on the seat of a familiar looking racing   
motorcycle. Minako was in Jupiter's arms, and the   
tall brunette quickly handed the child over to the   
pink-haired girl. Usagi and Ami quickly transformed.   
" I've got her," Chibi-usa said, taking the girl. Her   
next words were addressed to the two cats as the four young   
women ran up the stairs. " I still wish that I didn't have   
to do this. I don't feel very useful."   
" I know, Small Lady," Artemis replied as Luna jumped   
up next to him on the seat to enjoy the residual   
warmth. " Usagi-chan wants her protected, though-"   
" And I'm the one the one most out of training   
with everyone at the moment," she finished for him. " Don't   
they understand that I'm not weak anymore?"   
" They do, Chibi-usa-chan," Luna added. " That's why   
she wants you watching over Minako-chan. We don't know as   
much about what you're capable of, so this way you aren't   
limited by what we try and make you do."   
" Also, they get to play to their strengths by working   
together," Artemis said a moment later.   
" Thank you, sensei," she dryly replied, turning her   
gaze to the top of the hill.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Rei," she whispered under her breath as she   
reached the top of the stairs. Her wings helped her   
leap the remaining distance to the fallen Senshi.   
" Get away from her!" she yelled at the woman   
in black who was looking down on her friend. She pulled   
her scepter, pointing it at the woman. Jupiter and   
Saturn raced in to take up a position between them.   
" I didn't hurt her... much," the woman said,   
warily backing away. She held a glowing blade of energy   
like it was a sword and kept her eyes on Saturn. There   
was no trace of fear in her stance. She was simply   
being careful.   
" One more," Mercury whispered. Her visor was   
already out and running, and her voice was low as she   
relayed the information " On the steps. No sign of any   
powers. The girl's dangerous, though."   
" Well, now that almost everyone is here," the   
young man said as he rose to his feet. " Sailor Moon,   
would you please invite your friends in the trees over   
there and there to join us, as well as the gentleman on   
the lamp post slightly behind me and to my left."   
His tawny eyes hadn't left hers as he nullified   
their trump cards by pointing them out with motions of   
his hands. At her orders, Uranus and Neptune came out   
and formed their skirmish line with Saturn. Jupiter was   
helping Mars to her feet. The Senshi of the red planet   
looked only slightly worse for wear.   
" Anyone get the number on that truck?" she   
grimaced, forcing herself erect.  
" Mars,-"   
" That's the girl I said that I saw last   
Friday," the girl with the sable hair interrupted,   
rubbing her hip. " Hamaji was never any good at PE,   
so I tried surprising her. She's right when she said   
she's not entirely Hamaji."  
" We wouldn't have let her hurt Mars," Neptune   
added over one shoulder as Tuxedo Kamen landed next to   
Moon.   
" What is it you want?" she called out to the   
young man who was idly playing with his single, thin   
braid of hair. The woman in black was standing in front   
of him at the foot of the steps in a defensive position.   
" You might as well have the other three ladies   
and the gentleman come up as well, while you're at it," he   
replied. " I don't want to have to repeat myself more than   
once."   
" You can just tell us now," she said, pitching her   
voice a bit lower and firmer.   
" Flare, the rest of the Tokyo Tower, if you don't   
mind. Establish our credentials."   
" Wait!" Mars' voice rang out. Flare paused with a   
smug look on her face. Mars ignored the smirk she received   
from the redhead and turned to Moon. " She can hit it from   
here. Easily. She already knocked off the top of it."   
" All right," the blonde conceded. *Chibi-usa, bring   
everyone up. Be ready for anything*  
The girl responded affirmatively and cut off the   
connection between them.   
" That was very wise of you," the young man   
said. " I only wish to talk to you right now, so there   
is no need for hostilities at the moment."   
Sailor Moon took another deep breath, her mind   
desperately racing. Who was he to know so much about   
them? They had been doing nothing but following his   
instructions so far, and she liked it about as much as   
the others did. She could see the tension building in   
Uranus' shoulders and felt much the same way herself.   
Beside her, her love seemed to be patiently waiting,   
although she could see the same signs of tension in him.   
Still, his mere presence helped her greatly. His stability   
and strength were a balm to her fraying nerves.   
" Your Majesty," his clear voice rang out as   
Chibi-usa crested the stairs with the child in her   
arms and the cats at her feet. She was clothed in her   
formal, white gown and the crescent moon on her forehead   
shone in the sun. " It is so nice to see you today, and   
in full attire, no less."   
He sketched a short but respectful bow in her   
direction. She responded with a brief, elegant one-handed   
curtsey, not taking her eyes off of him for a moment.  
" And to whom do We have the pleasure of   
addressing?" she replied, shifting for a moment into the   
correct form of speech for royalty in hopes of gaining a   
slight advantage over the man. His next words, however,   
swept away any such hopes.   
" You may call me Sailor Sun."   
  
************************************************   
  
He nervously glanced at his watch, noting that   
he was going to be a few moments late today. That would   
be unusual for him, so he lengthened his stride in an   
effort to be on time for the test. His presence at any   
of the classes was merely a formality since he already   
had the credits needed to graduate, but he'd never been   
late before, and didn't want to break his record.   
That detour to the bank had taken a few more minutes   
than he thought. After the one class he had to attend   
today, he was going to take the train across town and   
get some textbooks for the classes he would probably be   
taking. He could use the opportunity to get a head start   
on his work next year.   
His glasses had slipped a bit, so he pushed them   
back up onto the bridge of his nose and looked both ways   
before running across the street at a break in traffic. He   
was making sure to be careful, as always. There was no   
need to walk into an accident now, not when things were   
looking so good.   
To help cover the cost of the books, his parents   
had given a him a check that he put into the bank   
yesterday. His visit to the teller machine this morning   
let him verify that the funds were actually credited to   
his account. There was a branch of his bank right by the   
train station that he was going to after class on the   
way to Nekomi. He'd pull out the fifty thousand yen there.  
  
************************************************  
  
" A Sailor Senshi?" she cried out. " If you're   
a Sailor Senshi, why are you doing this? We're supposed   
to be protecting these people!"   
" No," he coldly pointed out. " You are supposed   
to be protecting them. I am laboring under no such   
compulsion."   
Her blood turned to ice in her veins as she   
realized what he was meant. He was no different from   
any of the others. All he was eventually going to be   
doing was hurting the people she was supposed to be   
protecting, and then her friends were going to be hurt   
as well.   
This time, though, her anger melted the coldness   
and fear inside of her as she refused to even think   
about it happening again. Not again. Nobody was going   
to be hurt this time. Except him.   
" Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" she screamed   
out, planting the now-extended handle of the Eternal   
Tier firmly into the ground and a torrent of silver   
light engulfed the two on the pedestal of the ruined   
statue as a result of her latest, most powerful attack   
through the scepter. It had been so difficult for her   
to use before, but now the power easily came to   
her. " There won't be any more fighting! I'm never   
going to let you hurt anyone here! Never!"  
The world went white in the glare of the attack,   
making all of them look away momentarily. " Never," her   
voice trailed off into a sob as she realized they were   
still standing there. A shimmering barrier was holding   
back the onslaught of power. Sailor Sun merely stood   
there with one hand upraised. He hadn't even broken a   
sweat. She fell to the ground, emotionally and physically   
exhausted as her attack dissipated. Tuxedo Kamen quickly   
knelt beside her.  
" There doesn't have to be any fighting, Sailor   
Moon," the man went on in a condescending tone of   
voice. " My demands are simple for you to meet. If   
you do what I say, there's even a chance that none of   
these people that you are so eager to protect will be   
hurt."   
  
************************************************  
  
The sudden hope that illuminated her face was more   
than he ever could have imagined possible. Such hope   
didn't have a place in this world, she would soon find   
out. The despair that would follow the shattering of   
that illusion of hope would be like the finest of wines.   
" The people of this planet have forgotten their   
place, Sailor Moon, as have you and the Senshi. You have   
no chance against me. Absolutely none. I created this   
system. I am the source of everything here, but you all   
seem to have forgotten your place in the scheme of   
things. The whole system is heliocentric, and I'm   
here to remind you of that little fact.  
" Serenity, you will renounce your position and   
forsake your powers."   
" What!" Jupiter yelled, starting forward. A   
crackling ball of incandescent light appeared in her   
hand. She flung it forward at same time as Uranus   
drew her sword and leveled it at him.   
" Space Sword Blaster!"   
Their anger fueled their attacks, but they were as   
ineffective as their leader's. Flare stepped forward even   
before he bothered to do anything about it. Her sword   
batted away the lightning with one swing and blocked the   
second attack on her return stroke. The redhead pointed   
her other hand at the ground in front of the onrushing   
brunette.   
The blast wave from her attack knocked Jupiter back   
into the others. He could feel Flare's disdain as she   
surveyed them one by one. When she spoke, her voice was   
low and mocking. " He hasn't finished talking."  
" As I was saying," he went on after a few moments   
of silence. " Endymion will do the same thing. The Sailor   
Senshi will recant their oath of loyalty and give up their   
powers. Is that clear?"   
" We'll never give up!" the young girl cried out,   
shifting her grip on the child in her arms and holding   
up a pink crystal. Her form began to glow, but it was   
the look on the child's face that caught his attention. Her   
eyes, actually. They possessed a coldness that he could   
feel from here. The same look was mirrored in Saturn's   
eyes as well. " You'll never get the Silver Crystal!"   
" This isn't about fighting, and I have no need for   
her little trinket," he explained to the girl. She relented   
and lowered the crystal, but only after a quick glance from   
the man in the tuxedo. " I do not engage in fisticuffs. Your   
choices are very simple. You surrender, or this planet will   
be destroyed.   
" To show you the futility of fighting us and our   
power, I will give you some additional time to make your   
decision. You can even try and fight back, if it will help   
you understand that you don't have a chance.   
" On Wednesday, however, another blast will hit   
Bikini atoll. If you don't give up by the following   
Friday, the city of Nagasaki will be destroyed in the   
same way. Hiroshima will cease to exist on Sunday. Your   
surrender can save all those people in those cities. You   
have only until the next Monday, however, for making your   
ultimate decision.   
" A week from today, my wrath will fall upon this   
planet in New Mexico, and all life will cease to exist. Do   
I make myself clear?"   
" Yes," Tuxedo Kamen replied, rising to his feet. " But   
why do you insist upon hurting the others on this planet? What   
have they done to you?"   
" Surprisingly little, really. The only real reason   
why I threaten them is that it hurts you so much."   
" Monster!" Mercury spat out. " What's going to happen   
to them when we're gone?"   
" Truthfully, I don't know," he smiled at her, sitting   
back down and leaning against the broken statue. He   
casually crossed one leg over his knee. " It is quite   
possible that this planet will survive without you to   
protect all of them. That is their one chance, you see.  
" If you surrender, they have that chance. If you   
don't, they have none. Now, just so you understand the   
rest of the rules of this game, let me explain a few more   
of the finer points. If there is any sign of an evacuation   
beginning from any of these cities, the game is over and   
you're out of quarters. No second chances.   
" This one little lesson today also has probably   
not been enough for you to fully understand the futility   
of resistance, so Flare will be making a few more   
appearances around the city so she can play for a while."   
The redhead must have grinned eagerly at that,   
judging from the look on Mars' face. The sight of someone   
she once knew acting like that must have sickened her. He   
had a distinct feeling that she was desperately trying   
to figure out some way of saving her old acquaintance.  
" She's been very patient with me up until now," Sun   
explained. " Now, she gets to have her fun. When you are   
ready to surrender, just come back here and call out for   
me. I do hope to hear from you soon."   
He laughed once, raising one hand to his forehead   
in a jaunty salute before they faded away.   
  
************************************************   
  
" It is certainly ironic that the world will end   
on a Monday," Neptune said a minute later, breaking the   
uncomfortable silence that was only marred by Moon's   
labored breathing after her earlier efforts. The woman   
looked around at the others and reverted back to her   
regular clothes. " I think he'll keep his word about   
the attacks. They're not coming back."   
" Usagi-chan?" Chibi-usa asked her mother as she   
knelt next to her. " Are you all right?"  
" Yes," she smiled at her daughter. After another   
deep breath, she changed back and stood with Mamoru's   
assistance. " I'm just tired. That attack isn't very   
easy for me yet."  
" And he shrugged it off," Makoto said from where   
she was standing up as well before thinking better of it   
and sinking back to the ground, wincing in pain.   
" Mako-chan!" Mercury cried out and ran over to   
her. She started scanning the brunette.   
" Just a sprained ankle," Makoto replied and turned   
back to the others. " The question is, what do we do now?"  
" If we give up I... I won't..." Chibi-usa began   
to cry, unable to complete the sentence. Haruka quickly   
interceded, taking Minako from her so Usagi could take   
the sobbing, pink-haired girl into an embrace. Mamoru   
put his arms around both of them.   
" We're not going to let go of you that easily,   
Chibi-usa-chan," he consoled both of them. Usagi had   
started crying as well in response to the idea of losing   
her.  
" I don't want to give up," Rei said a few moments   
later to Michiru. " But what choice do we have if he's   
right?"   
" Rei-chan," Michiru admonished her loudly enough   
that Haruka came over to see what was going on. " Don't   
think like that or we'll never win."   
" We're not giving up, Rei," Haruka quietly added. She   
was about to say more when Minako started violently   
squirming in her arms. Her next words contained a tiny   
hint of sarcasm " We just have to convince Usagi of that,   
though."   
" Senenity," the child called out, still having a   
problem with pronouncing certain sounds at times. She   
was reaching towards the princess with one hand.  
The blonde shushed her and set the girl down on   
her feet. She promptly walked over to the trio still   
holding each other a few meters away.  
" Serenity... sad?" she asked, holding onto Usagi   
for stability as much as she seemed to be trying to   
comfort the young woman. It was the first time she   
had ever put together any words that resembled a sentence.  
" No, Minako-chan," Usagi replied, visibly composing   
herself. She took an arm from around Chibi-usa and put it   
around the child in order to pick her up. " I'm not sad   
anymore."   
The blonde gently kissed Minako on the forehead and   
looked at her watch before sighing. " Haruka-san? We've   
still got time to make it there. Can I get a ride to school   
from you?"  
" School!" Rei barked, feeling an irrational rush of   
anger that she tried to contain and mostly failed. " We're   
looking at the end of the world here and you're concerned   
about school?"   
The sudden outburst even got Saturn's attention from   
where she was looking out over the city and trying to   
figure out where they might be fighting next.   
" Rei?" Ami gasped. She was about to say something   
until she realized that the priestess already regretted   
her hasty words.   
" Yes, school, Rei-chan," the princess replied. " I   
have a test to take, and no, I'm not running away from my   
problems. We'll talk about that later on, though. I need   
to think about this right now."   
She turned and walked towards the stairs. If she   
was the first one down they couldn't see the look of   
despair on her face. She couldn't hold it back any   
longer.  
  
  
************************************************   
  
The young lady nervously walked back and forth   
in the square. For the fourth time in the last minute,   
she glanced up at the digital clock on the bank building.   
What she saw made her shake her head back and forth,   
causing her auburn hair to gently wave back and forth.  
10:03  
The old fashioned clocks with second hands would   
be easier for this, she decided with a bemused snort. The   
digital ones didn't give you any sense that time was   
actually passing. Every minute, the numbers would   
obediently change, but the effect wasn't the same.  
" Maybe some food," she whispered to herself. She   
didn't need it, she had long since learned, but she   
could still enjoy it. An okonomiyaki shop had just   
opened six laps ago, so she went over and into it. She   
still had almost an hour and a half to kill, and she   
absolutely hated waiting.  
  
************************************************  
  
It turned out that Haruna-sensei hadn't even   
been too mad at them for being late this morning. They   
had done better than many of the other students. The   
class seemed vacant with so many absences. The school   
regulations required them to come in at least once a   
week despite the construction that was starting that   
day. It was a scheduled vacation next week, however,   
so that rule wouldn't apply later on.  
A good number of her classmates had either suddenly   
become sick, or had parental excuses to miss class. The   
teacher only slightly scolded her for being late before   
handing her a copy of the test. The excuse they decided   
to use was a sudden breakdown of Haruka's car, and it   
seemed to work.   
Ami didn't seem to be very bothered, at least in   
terms of the test, but Makoto was another story. The tall   
girl seemed absent-minded and spent much of the period   
blankly staring at an unmarked sheet of white paper that   
should have held her answers.   
They made it back to Usagi's by a little after   
ten-thirty. Hotaru had bribed Shingo to go off and spend   
some time at a friend's under the pretense of the whole   
gang coming over for a session of girl talk after the   
tests were over. Neither she or Rei had classes today,   
she explained to him, although it wasn't that hard to   
convince him to go since he had planned to be there   
later in the day anyway. Ikuko was running errands, so   
they had the place to themselves for a little while.  
Mamoru had just brought out tea when they arrived   
and took seats in the living room. Ami stopped Makoto   
from making a beeline to the security of a kitchen, even   
if it wasn't hers, and made her sit with the others. Rei   
had left a half hour earlier to get something for them to   
eat and returned a few minutes after them with an armload   
of bento boxes from one of their favorite places nearby.   
" She's awfully powerful," Ami began after they took   
some time to eat. Most of them hadn't the chance to have a   
proper breakfast and put off discussing what had happened   
for a little while.  
" No kidding," Rei tried to joke. " How much more   
than us?"  
" I don't know," Ami apologized. " I don't have   
anything to compare her against since we just met her."   
" I couldn't determine anything about her power," Luna   
added. Artemis nodded in agreement with her but kept   
silent. " I can tell the difference between the Inner   
and Outer Senshi's powers, for example, but I have no   
idea about where hers is from."   
" What about him, though?" Mamoru asked. " He   
seems to be the one in charge, at least judging from   
how she deferred to him."  
" Nothing, I'm afraid," Ami went on. " I didn't   
get a trace of power from him, even when he erected that   
barrier or teleported."   
" The barrier was centered on him, right?" Rei   
asked. " What if she was the one who put it up around him?"   
" Also, there's a pattern to where they're attacking   
at," Ami added. " The attacks will be coming in the same   
places where the first five atomic bombs were exploded. I   
don't know what that means, though."   
" Aren't we kind of missing the point?" Michiru   
gently asked. " Which one of them is the more powerful,   
and where they're attacking isn't the important thing   
right now."  
Haruka nodded, silently agreeing with her partner. She   
also kept a close look out of the corner of her eye on   
Usagi, who was sitting next to and trying to convince   
Makoto to eat something. That was where she expected   
the problem to come from.  
" She's right," Luna said. " We have no idea who   
this Sailor Sun is."   
" Does anyone have any memories about him from the   
past?" Artemis asked hopefully. Nobody said anything, and   
an uncomfortable silence filled the room.   
" I'll fight if we have to," Makoto suddenly said,   
her voice low and thick.  
" Have to?" Haruka echoed sarcastically. " Who's   
thinking about giving up?"   
" I am!" Makoto snapped back. " Hiro is in   
Nagasaki. He might die if we don't."  
" We're not going to lose," the tall blonde growled,   
beginning to get angry before Michiru put a hand on her arm.   
" What if we do?" Makoto tearfully countered, her   
voice starting to rise. " What if we do lose? I finally   
find someone that I like; someone that I might be able to   
love, and I'm going to lose him like I did my parents. I'm   
tired, Haruka. I'm tired of being like this.  
" What more do we have to do? When do we finally   
get to be happy?" she screamed out before beginning to   
cry and slumped down onto Usagi. Haruka closed her eyes   
for a moment and turned away from Makoto. The anguished   
self-reproach on her face was clearly visible to the   
others for a moment before she shrugged off Michiru's   
hand and went over to kneel by Makoto.   
" I'm sorry, Mako-chan," she began, pulling the   
brunette to her and holding her tightly. " We won't lose.   
You'll get your chance. I promise."   
" Speaking of chances," Usagi began, and waited   
until all of them were looking at her before   
continuing. " Don't you all realize that he hasn't   
given us a choice?"  
" He did say we could give up-" Ami began to   
speak.  
" No!" Usagi shouted, cutting her off. She took   
a few breaths and a sip of tea to give her a moment to   
regain her composure. " Stop thinking about that. You   
can't give up like this. It looks like he's giving you   
a choice, but he's not. Don't you understand?" she   
finished, her voice trembling.   
" Usagi-chan?" Luna jumped over onto the blonde's   
shoulder. " What is it?"   
" Understand what, Usagi-san?" Hotaru gently added   
in a compassionate tone since the pain on Usagi's face   
was so obvious. " You said that we can't give up. Does   
that mean that you don't want to fight him?"  
" No," she whispered, put Luna down and rose to her   
feet. " You just can't give up to him in the way that he   
wants. To you, to all of you, being a Senshi is so much a   
part of you that it's like breathing. If you don't do it,   
you'll die. That's what Minako did to save me. She gave up   
her life for me.  
" I don't have that problem with my powers, but I'm   
not giving up. I will not live in a world where my friends   
gave up their lives for me. I will not live in a world   
where I will not have my daughter."   
The telephone rang. Most of them started because   
they were paying so much attention to Usagi, who actually   
growled at the device before walking over to it.   
" Of all the times," she whispered before taking a   
deep breath, exhaling and answering in a sweet tone of   
voice. " Hello?"  
  
************************************************  
  
He had wanted to go and hug her as soon as she   
stood up. The pain was so obvious to him that it hurt   
to not to be able to console her, but he knew that she   
needed to say this to them. She was determined that   
none of them would be hurt again.   
Chibi-usa jumped in surprise as well when the   
phone rang. She giggled and leaned against him. It was   
apparent that Usagi's reassurances were making her feel   
much better, and he put his arm around her to let her   
know that he felt the same way. He wasn't going to give   
her up, either.  
" Hello?" Usagi said. Moments later, the slight   
irritation on her face gave way to fear. " Naru-chan?"   
The other quiet conversations quickly died   
down. Usagi closed her eyes, nodded once, and then her   
eyes shot back open. " Umino? Tokyo Memorial? Oh, my   
god! Naru-chan, I'm on my way," she blurted out and   
hung up the phone.   
" Hotaru-chan, Mamo-chan, hurry!" she implored   
them before reaching up to her broach.  
What happened next was certainly something they   
did not expect. A radiant gown appeared around her in   
a shimmer of white just before she vanished in a flash   
of light from the crescent on her forehead.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Miss! Miss!" the proprietor called out to the   
young woman as she walked out of the restaurant. She   
ignored him and the bill he was holding out towards   
her and stretched her arms out over her head.   
" There," she smiled as she felt the tense muscle   
begin to relax. Her arms came down and straightened out   
the black shirt she was wearing. She negligently pointed   
back over her shoulder with a thumb and blew apart the   
shop she just came out of. That would serve them right   
for trying to give her something made out of the batter   
left over from last night.   
The woman lightly jumped up to the top of a   
streetlight to give her a good vantage point overlooking   
the square. Five glowing balls of energy were randomly   
tossed out, causing little damage but making everyone   
else begin to flee in terror at the deafening explosions.   
It's a start, she decided, and settled back to wait.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Usako!" he called out just after she left. The   
others were surprised as well, or almost all of them. The   
exception jumped off of the couch and ran to the hallway,   
returning a few moments later with Mamoru's jacket.  
" Mamo-chan," Chibi-usa cried out. " Hurry! She   
needs you."   
" What did she do?"   
" Where did she go?"  
" She used the crystal," the girl replied to the   
questions. " She's at the hospital. Umino's been hurt,   
but that's all I know right now. She's concentrating too   
hard for me to reach her."   
" I know where that is," Hotaru added. Haruka   
wordlessly tossed the keys to her motorcycle to Mamoru.   
He would have caught them if the ground hadn't   
begun to shake.   
" Look!" Makoto cried out, her earlier worries   
fading as she pointed towards a column of smoke   
outside. It looked to be about a kilometer away.   
" He did say Flare would be back," Ami added a   
moment later.  
Rei saw the indecision on Mamoru's face and grabbed   
him with one arm and the keys with the other. " Go! We'll   
take care this. Go to her."  
He gave her a quick smile of gratitude and ran out   
with Hotaru in tow. The others ran out as well, leaving a   
young girl to watch the child, clean up, and mildly   
complain to the two cats about how much she really hated   
this part.   
  
************************************************   
  
The nurse could only stare in shock as an absolutely   
regal young woman in a white dress that belonged in a   
dream appeared before her in the emergency ward. She   
blinked, not fully believing her eyes, and suddenly it   
was only a worried looking schoolgirl.  
" You have a patient here named-" the girl began.  
" Usagi!" Naru called out, running into the ward   
from the hallway and grabbing the blonde by the arm and   
tugging her along towards a room. " It's all right. She's   
family."   
The nurse didn't fully believe the story, but her   
attention was diverted when two orderlies burst in from   
the parking lot pushing a stretcher with a very pregnant   
and very loud young lady on it.  
" Usagi-chan, " Naru sobbed as she closed the doors   
behind them. " The doctors say that he won't make it. It   
took so long to get to the next train station. They say   
that there's nothing more they can do except wait."   
" What happened, Naru-chan?" Usagi asked, looking at   
the pale figure on the hospital bed. Vulnerable was the   
word, she realized. The IV tubes and the monitors clustered   
around him made him look so frail. He looked better than   
she would have thought with his glasses off, however.   
" He wanted to go get some textbooks from the   
college. He needed to go to the bank to get the money,   
and I was delayed running a quick errand for my mom after   
class, so I told him to go on ahead and I'd meet him over   
at Nekomi. The police say that he must have been followed   
from his bank and the suspect got on the train with him.   
" Someone stabbed him and took his wallet right   
before the train left one of the stations on the way. There   
weren't many people on the train since it was during the   
day, and nobody noticed him until the next stop," she   
managed to say before the tears started.  
" Naru-chan," she whispered, putting a hand on her   
friend's shoulder for a moment to reassure her. " I'll   
try to do something."   
" You're the only person that I could think of,   
Usagi-chan," she replied, a ghost of a smile on her lips.   
Usagi took a deep breath and turned back towards   
the bed. She wasn't too sure of how she even got here,   
let alone what to do, but her friend was depending on   
her. Her friends, she reminded herself. Umino was still   
one of her friends.   
She knew what Mamoru had done once to save Chibi-usa,   
and she had also brought some of the Senshi back to life   
before, so this had to be possible as well. Taking one of   
Umino's hands in hers and closing her eyes, she began to   
concentrate. Her mind went back to what she had done to   
save the others.   
She had been perceiving the energy in a person, so   
she concentrated on doing that again. Her efforts were   
rewarded when she was able to see a slight shimmer of light   
in his body. What worried her, though, was that it was such   
a tiny, flickering flame compared to the steady bonfire it   
should have been, like the one she saw in Naru-chan. Still,   
it gave her a measure of hope. Now that she could see it,   
she could do something about it.   
Drawing on her own power from the crystal, she gently   
nudged a little of it towards Umino, and held it in him. The   
light brightened slightly, and stopped shaking so much. It   
seemed a little stronger.  
" I think I've stabilized him, Naru-chan," she softly   
said. " I can't heal him, but I think he'll last long enough   
for someone who can to arrive."   
" Usagi," she whispered in gratitude, wrapping her arms   
around the blonde in a joyful hug.   
" Naru!" she gasped, feeling the flash of emotions from   
the girl disturbing her control and the flame stuttered. She   
quickly bore down on it, forcing it to be calm.   
" I'm sorry," she apologized and sheepishly pulled   
back from her. " I need to concentrate on this, I guess."   
" I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. What can I do to help?"   
" Could you slide that chair over here," Usagi asked,   
realizing that it would be easier for Naru if she made her   
do something to take her mind off her anxieties. Her friend   
did that and hopefully looked at her again. She smiled at   
Naru to reassure her. " And maybe a cup of tea, perhaps?"  
  
************************************************   
  
" Are we rolling?" the announcer shouted to the   
cameraman in order to be heard above the noise as thunder   
broke out above them.  
" Yes!" the cameraman shouted over the tumult,   
panning right with the video camera they had salvaged   
from the van " This is great!"  
" Great my ass," the sketch artist grumbled,   
poking his head above the wreckage of the TV station's   
van. When the news came in that someone was fighting and   
challenging the semi-mythical Sailor Senshi, the media   
had descended on the scene like a veritable plague of   
locusts.   
He normally did safe things, like courtroom   
sketches or a little bit of still photography when   
things were busy. He'd been in the area, and was pressed   
into service to cover this battle. There were few actual   
recordings of the Senshi due to the brevity of their   
regular battles, and they wanted to get as many   
impressions as they could. He never expected to walk   
into a war zone.   
" Duck!" someone screamed from across the square   
as the girl the Senshi were fighting batted away a pair   
of ringed spheres. The deflected energy just missed the   
crew from Channel Six where they cowered in a long trench   
that had earlier been gouged out of the street by the   
newcomer as she tried to kill Mercury. Several men in   
the trench made a mad dash for the new foxholes behind   
them.   
" Did anyone have anything on who she was?" the   
announcer asked as they ducked under a sheet of flames. This   
had been going on for nearly fifteen minutes now, and there   
had to be a story behind this girl. There had been little   
news about the Senshi since their possible ally, Sailor V,   
made a one night reappearance nearly two years ago. He was   
sure that this fight would get top billing on the newscast   
tonight, but with some luck the feud may keep going on for   
a while.   
Damn, business is going to be good for a while, he   
smiled.  
" Go in for a close-up!" he yelled to the cameraman,   
who gave him a thumbs-up while complying. " Look at that   
smile on her face. This is great!"   
She's playing with them, the artist said to himself,   
looking at the redhead through his camera lens. He'd seen   
that look on some of the psychopaths he'd drawn in   
court. This was just a game to her.  
  
************************************************   
  
" Mamo-chan!" she whispered, sinking back into   
her seat as the two people she had been waiting for   
slipped into the room. Sustaining Umino had been more   
taxing than she thought, and she wasn't sure if she   
could hold him any longer.   
" Where's Naru-chan?" Hotaru asked, nervously   
glancing around.  
" She's trying his parents again," Usagi replied,   
accepting a brief hug from Mamoru and relinquishing the   
hand she had been holding. She gave both of them an   
apologetic look. " Naru-chan knows about us. That's why   
she called me."   
" Usagi-san, isn't it supposed to be a secret   
identity?" Hotaru said teasingly for a moment before   
smiling and taking Umino's other hand. " Let's see here."   
Both of their hands glowed in a warm, buttery   
yellow color for a few moments before Hotaru looked   
back at her. " He's pretty bad, Usagi-san, but between   
us we should be able to stabilize him."   
" He'll be here quite a while, though," Mamoru   
added, giving the blonde a little smile. " You did a   
good job, Usako."  
" I'll go head off Naru-chan," she decided. " You'll   
need the privacy, right?"   
Hotaru nodded and closed her eyes. Usagi quickly   
gave Mamoru a peck on the cheek and walked over to Hotaru,   
gratefully squeezed her shoulder and left them to their   
work. The hospital staff had looked in on Umino   
periodically, so they would have some time to work.   
She walked outside to the main lobby and found Naru   
at the last in a line of pay telephones. Usagi's heart went   
out to her in that moment at the forlorn expression on the   
brunette's features. Her heart had been shattered by what   
happened to Nephrite, and it had been slow to heal.  
Umino may not have been one of the most attractive   
of the boys at their school, but his feelings for her   
friend had been honest. He did have a good heart, and   
had done much to help her friend get over the warrior   
from the Dark Kingdom. She had been fortunate to find   
him, actually, and the prospect of losing Umino had   
genuinely scared her.  
" There's still nobody home," she said when she   
realized the blonde was standing there. Usagi went over   
and gave her the hug that she hadn't been able to wrap   
around her for the thirty minutes it had taken Mamoru   
and Hotaru to get here.   
" I think he'll be all right, Naru-chan," she   
whispered into her ear, feeling tension draining   
away. " They're with him right now."   
" The doctors?"   
" No," she smiled. " Ones who can help him, though."   
" Who?" she asked, and then blushed. " Am I supposed   
to know?"   
" I'll let them decide that when they're done," she   
replied, and steered them off away from the emergency   
ward. " They need some time to work undisturbed, though."   
" I trust you, Usagi-chan," Naru happily beamed at   
her. A moment later, though, the smile faded away.  
" Naru-chan?"   
" Why do people do things like this, Usagi? He's   
never hurt anyone in his life."   
Oh, boy, she sighed to herself and steered them   
away from the exit like she had been planning. The signs   
that she had been using to navigate by said that there   
was a chapel on the premises, though, and that might be   
the right place for this. It should be quiet and empty at   
this time of the day.   
She led her friend in and detoured into the small   
Christian chapel on the left. There was a Shinto shrine to   
the right, but she heard low voices in that room. They took   
seats in a pew in the back. To her surprise, Naru   
genuflected and crossed herself before sitting.  
" I'm not," Naru explained before she could ask.   
" It's all right," she replied. " Naru-chan, there   
are a lot of people in the world, and some of them aren't   
good people. They don't care what they do to other people.   
All they want to do is take whatever they can, regardless   
of the consequences."   
Her mind flashed back to the ones she had fought.   
Beryl standing over her with the ominous presence of   
Metallia behind her. The Wiseman chortling as Black Lady   
prepared to destroy the world. Pharaoh Ninety's glee as   
she placed the Holy Grail into the hands of Mistress   
Nine. Nephrenia smiling from one of her mirrors. Jason   
triumphantly gloating as he clutched the crystal in one   
hand while her body floated next to him.   
She scowled briefly, recognizing the last as one   
of Minako's memories surfacing from the depths of her   
mind. " They simply don't care. They just take. Umino   
didn't do anything wrong. What happened wasn't his fault.   
We have to accept that there are selfish and amoral people   
in the world. No matter what I do, it won't change that   
basic fact."   
" You sound like there's something you could do,   
Usagi," her friend replied a few minutes later.   
" I could, Naru," she replied, sighing and pointed   
towards the altar at the far end of the room. " Do you   
see that cross up there? I could climb up there with him,   
Naru, and give my life for the sins of the world. I could   
make everyone perfect, and loving and caring.  
" I could do it, Naru-chan," she bitterly went   
on. " I would have given up my life, and nothing would   
have really changed. At some point, whatever I did would   
wear off, and everyone would go back to being what they   
were before. Nobody would have changed.  
" I had a long talk with my mother about that right   
after Minako died. I was going to do just that and make   
everything perfect. I understand it now. It hurts, but I   
understand all too well now.   
" People have to be able to make their own choices,   
and I would be taking that choice away from them. I can   
only lead them towards enlightenment by example. If I   
force someone to be good, they never will be. They have   
to learn to do that on their own. If I made them be good,   
I would be no different than the ones who hurt other   
people."   
" You really have changed, Usagi-chan," Naru said   
a few moments later. " What happened to the carefree,   
happy girl that I used to know?"   
" She's growing up," Usagi sadly replied, putting   
an arm around the brunette and holding her. " I have had   
a lot to think about the last few years. I'm only one   
person. No matter what I did, there would be no way for   
me to stop all the wars going on. I couldn't end all the   
suffering. I can't be everywhere at once. All I can do   
is to show them the way."  
" Usagi?" Naru asked a little later. " I thought   
your mom didn't know about you. I mean, who you are."   
" No, not Ikuko-mama," she smiled. " My other   
mother. Remember what I told you? She's the one I talked   
to about this."   
" You live in a strange world, Usagi-chan. I'm not   
sure that I could do what you do. Thank you for saving him."   
" He makes you happy, Naru-chan," she replied   
before smiling. " It was the least I could do." Then,   
the smile became mischievous. " You do have to promise   
me one thing, however."   
" What?" Naru asked, feeling confused.   
" Contacts, or get him in for eye surgery," she   
giggled. " He looks a lot better without those glasses." Naru   
began to furiously blush as the doors opened. Mamoru walked   
in, looking tired but pleased.   
" There you are," he softly said to them and sat next   
to the girls.   
" Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, not needing to say the   
rest. Naru looked expectantly at him as well.   
" We've got him to where the doctors can help him,   
Naru-chan," he answered them. The brunette squealed in   
delight and threw her arms around him.   
" Thank you," she said, and then pulled back, a   
little embarrassed. " Mamoru-san, are you... ?"  
He weakly grinned and handed her a rose that he   
produced with a flourish of his hand in mid-air. " Why   
don't you go to him, Naru-chan? I'm too tired for   
bouquets right now, but I'm sure they have a vase that   
you can use for this."   
She rose with a happy smile on her face and bowed   
deeply before taking the flower and turning to leave.  
" He looks a lot better right now, Usako," he   
added after she left. " He'll probably wake up a little   
later on today, or maybe in the morning. We were able   
to bring him back from the brink, but it wasn't easy.   
Neither of us is used to dealing with anyone hurt that   
badly."   
" How are you and Hotaru?" she responded, feeling   
concerned.  
Mamoru stretched his arms above his head before   
answering. " She wasn't comfortable with Naru-chan   
knowing, so she went outside to rest for a little bit."   
" What is everyone else doing?"   
" The last I heard," he said while pulling her   
to him. " They were just starting to fight against   
Flare. She made a dramatic entrance right after you   
left."  
" They shouldn't have," she replied. She started   
to reach for her communicator, her response confusing   
him. " He doesn't want us to get killed right now. He   
wants us to give up, remember? They aren't in any real   
danger."   
  
************************************************   
  
Mamoru was asleep on the couch where they had   
left him when they came in. She wasn't in the kitchen   
when she looked. Did she leave while I was in the   
shower? she asked herself. That wouldn't be like her.   
Actually, now it would be. The girl Usagi used   
to be wouldn't have left her here alone with Mamoru at   
his apartment.   
" I'm out here, Rei-chan," her voice softly called   
from the balcony. The raven-haired girl grabbed a pair of   
cans of soda and walked out to join her friend. They all   
had a long, tiring day today, and maybe this would help   
her relax.  
" Thanks," Usagi said, taking one can and carefully   
working a fingernail under the tab to open it. " How are   
you doing?"   
" A lot better after that shower," Rei replied,   
sitting next to the blonde on the old sofa. " He's still   
asleep."   
" He's just tired, Rei-chan," she pointedly   
replied. " He wasn't shot at all afternoon."   
" It was only a half-hour, Usagi-chan," she   
explained, trying to lightly brush off the earlier   
battle. " Mako-chan even admitted that she was enjoying   
it after a little while."  
" She enjoyed getting beat?" the princess   
replied. Her voice was slightly sarcastic, but it   
was a joke and not directed at her companion.   
" No," Rei laughed, taking a sip of her   
drink. " She's as bad as Haruka-san about hating   
to lose. What she told me was that it was nice to   
be able to cut loose at full power for a change."   
" Well, Haruka-san wasn't all that happy when   
I ordered a retreat."   
" Please, 'strategic withdrawal'," the priestess   
laughed. It took all of Michiru's wiles to get Haruka   
to disengage from the battle today. Fortunately, the   
fatigue affecting Mamoru and Hotaru due to saving Umino   
was the worst they had suffered today, as long as one   
didn't mind a blow to the ego. Flare had not been   
sorely pressed by their efforts today.   
That made her remember one of the things that   
she wanted to ask Usagi about, though. Her friend was   
taking this far too calmly, in her own opinion.   
" I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier today,   
Usagi-chan. I shouldn't have done that," she began.   
" That's all right, Rei-chan. I must have really   
startled you by saying that I wanted to go to school to   
take a test."   
" Well, yes," she admitted and blushed. That part   
was also true. " You're the most powerful of us,   
Usagi-chan. He wasn't even phased by your attack today.   
How can you take this so calmly?"   
She waited a few minutes before answering. " I'm   
not calm, Rei. I'm so scared that I want to scream, but   
I can't afford to do that now. I have to be strong."   
" What?" she asked, turning towards her friend.  
" Is it wrong for me to want that future that   
we've seen? I'm desperately afraid of losing Chibi-usa. I   
can't imagine... , no, I don't want to imagine a future   
where she doesn't exist. I'm not denying what happened,   
Rei-chan. I saw how powerful he was as well as any of   
us. All I can hope is that we can get a Planet attack   
on him or something, and it works."   
" That might be tough, Usagi-chan. We haven't done   
one of those yet without Minako-chan, and it takes us too   
long to synchronize with the Outers to boost you up for   
it to be practical in a fight."   
" I know," the blonde admitted. " As well as they   
work together, they don't have a counterpart to the Planet   
attack. Michiru thinks that because they were so far apart   
most of their time in the past that they never developed   
a group attack like that.  
" Still, I have to believe that we can do it,   
Rei-chan. If I don't take this seriously this time,   
we might fail. I'm far too aware of the price of failure."   
" We'll do it," she replied, putting her hand over   
Usagi's and giving her a reassuring squeeze. The pain her   
friend was in, and the maturity she was showing in dealing   
with it only strengthened her resolve. They would beat   
him. They would have to beat them.   
Idly, she wondered if the legends of a bird known   
as the phoenix were true. Could she rise, reborn from   
the ashes like Hotaru if she decided to pay the ultimate   
price?  
  
************************************************  
  
He had been surprised Makoto was in a good mood   
after the day's events. None of them had been too pleased   
about the TV coverage, and the opinions voiced by the   
media when they had pulled out of the fight. Usagi had   
asked for something that was very difficult for the   
brunette to do.   
Flare had stopped attacking when she realized what   
was going on. She left right after a few choice words. They   
had lost the battle, technically, but they won the war. The   
fighting had stopped, and the only serious injuries had   
been in a restaurant. She had the opportunity to hurt a   
lot more people before they had arrived, so perhaps Usagi's   
assessment of the situation was correct.   
What he had been doing most of the night was   
examining the records of the fight in Ami's computer. She   
had followed her usual practice of recording the battle,   
and although she was no closer to figuring out Flare's   
power, he had been able to get lot of information from it.  
For all her intelligence, Ami didn't have his   
tactical training. He remembered many years of instructing   
at the Guard Academy on the moon. While many of those   
memories were still vague, the uncertainties had nothing   
to do with the subject. He didn't remember his students,   
but he remembered the subject.   
Flare had taken all their best shots today. Well,   
almost, he reminded himself. He wouldn't ask that of   
Hotaru or the princess. That left them with only a few   
options.  
The prince was a crafty fighter, he well knew. While   
the extent of Mamoru's gifts still weren't known, it   
probably wouldn't be enough in terms of the raw power   
needed to stop Flare. Mamoru had a lot in him, but wasn't   
able to use all of it in an attack, they had discovered   
during their practices.   
His attack generally was much on the same power   
level as the girls, although he had several ways of   
delivering it. They had found out that what he was doing   
when he stopped the second golem they fought was using   
most of his power in one blast that left him nearly   
comatose due to his lack of experience at controlling   
it. Mamoru still could exceed his normal level of power,   
but only at a great price for a small gain.   
Speaking of raw power, Saturn hadn't been there   
today, either. She might be able to make a difference,   
but he wasn't sure. Usagi's new attack had been the   
equal of Hotaru's Silence Glaive Apply as far as they   
had been able to determine. They couldn't be perfectly   
sure, however.   
They both admitted to needing to hold back from   
fully exerting those powers to avoid certain   
consequences. The last thing any of them wanted was   
for Usagi to go too far with the crystal. Nor did they   
want Hotaru to approach the level of power needed for   
the Death Reborn Revolution.  
Power, he decided, was the key. They simply needed   
more power. He jumped down from the back of the recliner   
and padded over to the couch. Sleeping on it was the   
reason that they couldn't do what they needed to do. Makoto   
had left her out here at his request, and left her door   
ajar. She was tired from her efforts today and didn't mind   
the chance to get a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep.  
Flare had shrugged off Neptune and Uranus' coordinated   
attacks. The other Senshi's attacks had been similarly   
ineffective. If Usagi or Hotaru couldn't do it, that left   
only the riskier Planet attack. With the Outers running   
interference, the Inners would have the time to do it.  
The question was would they be able to employ the   
attack without Venus. They had tried after her loss, and   
they hadn't been able to make it work. Group teleports   
were about all they could manage, and those had been   
difficult enough.  
This was all his fault, he knew. They couldn't do   
what they needed to because they didn't have Venus. They   
didn't have Venus because of him and his failures to wake   
her up from her slumber. She was asleep because he hadn't   
trained her well enough, or because he hadn't remembered   
something important.   
" Venus," he whispered, preparing himself. It wasn't   
his Minako he was calling out for. This time, he was going   
to find her. Gently, he brushed his consciousness across  
hers.  
At first, there was only the need for sleep. She was   
still young and tired easily. The only things he found   
there were the tangled skein of her dreams and a haunting   
image of Usagi's sad eyes.   
As he feared, there was nothing else. Phase two, he   
said to himself and closed his eyes. The crescent on his   
forehead began to glow with the painstakingly accumulated   
energy from the last full moon. He had let her old crescent   
compact absorb what it could in a window at Makoto's while   
he had frantically ran from one patch of moonlight to   
another on that cloudy night.   
He cast his memories back as far as he could. If the   
cat could not do this tonight, then perhaps the man could. He   
truly didn't remember which he was at first; a man or a cat,   
but he did recall Queen Serenity changing them in some of   
his earliest memories.   
" Luna," he whispered, remembering her as a human and   
how radiantly beautiful she had been. Usagi had briefly   
changed them into humans during their first battle with   
Nephrenia. He concentrated on Luna's glorious eyes, making   
his self-image into the one he saw mirrored in hers at   
that moment.   
The brief shock of pain was worse than he   
remembered. His skin felt like it was crawling as his   
perspective changed until he was looking down on the   
sleeping child.   
" Venus," he said softly, picking her up and cradling   
her in his arms while marveling at how small she was   
compared to him right now.   
  
************************************************  
  
He closed down the computer and leaned back in   
his chair to consider some of the things he had just   
read in the reports. There was no urgency involved since   
it would still be many years before he sprang his trap. He   
wasn't planning on repeating Jason's mistakes.  
No, he'd be far more direct about it when he   
attacked. There would be no convoluted plans or tricks   
involved that could, and invariably did go wrong. Most of   
them would die at night, or be otherwise caught by   
surprise. The ones he couldn't deceive would fall under   
the weight of numbers.  
One of his old colleagues, Gabriel, had planted a   
number of golems in and around the city of Tokyo. They   
were part of a plan to observe the Sailor Senshi in   
battle. Most of the first batch had already been used,   
but he quickly sent in more of them after getting his new   
base set up.   
He lacked Gabriel's gift at making powerful golems,   
but his were more subtle ones that weren't designed for   
combat. They didn't attack the Senshi. They merely tracked   
them as long as possible when one came close enough to   
activate the dormant construct.   
Eventually, he would be able to establish a pattern   
to their actions, and that would lead to who they were. Given   
that, it would be child's play to kill most of them without   
a fight. They looked like young girls, and tended to act   
like them from what he had seen of them through the scrying   
spells. Since he had already had set up the spells on the   
golems when he made them, there was no way for the Senshi   
to detect that they were being observed like they would   
have if he directly watched them through a spell.  
Yes, things were going well. He lit up a cigarette   
and put his feet up on the desk he sat at. His recruitment   
of new talent had already made up for most of his losses   
from the debacle at Jason's stronghold, and they would be   
far stronger in time. He had plenty of time to make sure   
that everything would go as planned.   
  
************************************************  
  
She woke feeling like something was wrong. It   
was quiet around her, though. The only sounds in the   
Tsukino household were the normal ones of a peaceful night.  
The faint howl outside instantly told her what was   
going on, and she slipped out of the room and down the   
stairs to leave by the pet door. She recognized his voice,   
and the pain he was in. He wasn't anywhere she could see,   
and it hadn't been too loud. That left only a few options   
since he generally wouldn't be doing this on anyone's   
property. He would want to be alone, and that left only   
one real choice, which she ran towards.   
She found him curled up into a small, miserable   
ball in the middle of the soccer field. Every few minutes,   
he would let out a mournful howl.   
" Artemis?" she softly called, keeping her voice low   
enough so that nobody else would hear. " Artemis?"   
" I blew it again," he admitted, looking over at   
her. Defeat was etched into every feature on his face. He   
stood, stretched and walked over to sniff at an open bottle   
lying hear him. She almost laughed as he made a face and   
intentionally tipped it over.  
It was funny until she realized that he smelled   
like the contents of the bottle.  
" You've been drinking," she angrily started before   
the absurdity of that statement hit her. " Wait, how did   
you even get...?"   
" It's easy when you have opposable thumbs," he   
announced and walked over to stand downwind of her. He   
let out another mournful yowl. " I wish we could cry."   
" Opposable thumbs? What are you talking about?"  
" I couldn't do it, Luna. I even managed to turn   
myself into a human for a little while, but I even then   
I still couldn't wake her up. We're all going to die   
because this stupid white cat who stands before you   
screwed up once again."   
" That is nonsense, Artemis, and it's wrong."   
" No, it isn't," he politely disagreed. " It's   
the simple truth, and I should have drank more of that   
sake while I had the chance. It smells too vile now to   
go near it. Maybe it would have killed more of the pain."   
" We haven't lost yet-"   
" And we can't win," he coldly interrupted her. " We   
can't win without either losing Usagi or Hotaru. Even if we   
win, we lose. The reason for it is that we don't have Venus,   
and the reason we don't have Venus is me. Do the math, Luna."   
" I am not going to stay here while you wallow in   
self-pity and insult me, Artemis," she announced,   
disdainfully turning her back on him and preparing to   
leave.   
" Luna, don't go. Please. I'm the only one I've   
been insulting, if you recall," he said a few moments   
later to her, giving her a sad smile. She relented and   
walked back over to sit by him, but stayed upwind. " I   
still can't help but feeling responsible for whatever is   
going to happen. I should have seen it coming somehow."   
" It's more polite, but you're still talking   
nonsense," she replied in a gentle tone of voice. " You're   
using hindsight to look at the situation and punishing   
yourself for not having been perfect and seen all the   
problems before they happened."  
He sighed deeply. " I know that in my mind, but my   
heart hasn't quite got the message yet."   
" So that's why you were drinking?"   
" Trying to drink," he laughed. " I brought the   
bottle with me from Makoto's. The first sip tasted so   
bad that I changed back into a cat. I ended up wearing   
more than I drank since I could no longer hold the   
bottle and dropped it."   
" Was it hard to do?" she pensively asked. He knew   
she didn't mean drinking.   
" Not as hard as I thought," he replied and wrapped   
his tail around her. " I think that we're going to have a   
lot of fun a few full moons from now."   
" Your mood certainly got better quickly," she teased   
him and leaned into him for support and security. He   
rested his head on hers.  
" You do that to me, dear."   
" Now, that is definitely the Artemis I'm used to   
hearing," she smiled.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Burning Mantra!" she screamed out, sending a   
barrage of flaming rings through the air towards her   
target. Mercury cried out as well, sending a blast from   
her 'Mercury Aqua Rhapsody' just to the left of Flare as   
she avoided Mars' attack. That's it, she grimaced. Let   
yourself get herded into this.  
" Jupiter Oak Evolution!" the green-clad Senshi   
yelled, popping up from behind the bushes she had been   
knocked into a minute ago. Jupiter had been letting this   
one build up for longer than normal, judging from the number   
and brightness of the leaves of energy that flew towards   
the redhead as she spun around.   
Flare got her arms up to block the worst of it and   
was only knocked back a few meters. Catlike, she landed   
on her feet.   
" Damn," Mars whispered under her breath. This wasn't   
what was supposed to be happening. They had been too tired   
after the fight yesterday to really finish their discussion   
of what went on Monday. Usagi had suggested they meet today   
at this park to decide what they wanted to do.   
It was either karma, fate, or Murphy's Law that made   
Flare attack them when she, Makoto and Ami reached the   
park. Like the day before, Flare's sword was blocking or   
deflecting their attacks. One thing they had decided on   
the way to the park was to surprise her in the next fight   
and see if her ability to block their attacks had any   
limits.   
Apparently, it did, but they were in no position   
to exploit the weakness. Ami had tried to hit the panic   
button on her communicator before she transformed, but   
Flare hadn't given them the chance. None of the others   
had shown up yet. Usagi and Chibi-usa were a running a few   
minutes late when they had arrived, and Usagi had told them   
to go on ahead. They were supposed to be here by now, she   
knew. They really needed the reinforcements.   
" That wasn't very nice of you," Flare growled,   
flinging a bolt of light that caught Jupiter full on,   
knocking her to the ground in a smoking heap. Then, she   
turned towards the other two and smiled. " Care to give   
up yet?"   
  
************************************************  
  
" Look out!"   
Screams rang out ahead of them just in time to   
give them a chance to dive out of the way as a bolt of   
fire tore between them. Mars' arrow, she realized, the   
bag of groceries forgotten as she looked at the molten   
scar that now ran the length of the street as far as she   
could see. The median that they were walking along was   
now a low pile of rubble.   
She glanced over to see Chibi-usa looking towards   
the park from the entrance they were standing near. She   
still held on to Minako's hand, thankfully. She didn't   
want the child to be hurt.   
" Senshi!" was the only part of someone's yell that   
she could make out as another explosion made the ground   
begin to shake. A bird made of fire rose out of the pall   
of smoke hanging over the park. It cried out once before   
banking into a tight turn and plummeting down into the   
gloom. Another explosion was felt, knocking her and several   
others to the ground. She still couldn't see the combatants.  
" I'm going up there!" she yelled out to the girl   
as a low rumbling began to be heard. It rose in volume   
like something that was far away but rapidly approaching.   
She flashed a quick smile at her daughter to reassure her   
and stood up, reaching for her broach. She knew that   
sound. The cavalry had arrived, just like in the movies.  
" Are you crazy!" a voice rang out as she was   
pulled down to the ground by a young man in a black   
uniform. " You'll get killed in there."   
" Shino-san?" she gasped out, and then cried out   
in shock as a blue sphere passed right over their heads   
with a roar that reminded her of the sea. She started to   
protest his restraining her when she realized that   
normal people didn't run towards a fight involving the   
Senshi.  
This secret identity stuff really has some   
drawbacks, she bitterly decided.   
*Chibi-usa-chan! I can't transform right now. He   
knows who I am. Can you come over and distract him?*  
" Stop biting me!" a shriek rang out on the other   
side of the debris. * I can't, Usagi-chan. She's going   
nuts over here*  
*The poor thing must be scared* is what she sent,   
although the picture in her mind of the struggle going   
on between the two young girls brought a smile to her   
mind.  
*Scared my-* her daughter replied, quickly biting   
off the last word. *I can barely hold her down. I think   
she wants to either get into the fight or to go to you.*  
*Bring her over* she sent and began to look around   
the rooftops, hoping that her love would be there soon.   
Technically, she hadn't been in any real danger yet, so   
he might not know what was going on.  
" Have you ever seen them before?" Shino asked,   
peering up over a car towards the park.   
" Who?"   
" The Senshi. I've heard stories about them and seen   
them on TV, but I've never seen them."   
" I've seen them," she admitted. That much was true,   
at least. Chibi-usa stood and clambered over the remains   
of the median with a struggling Minako-chan in her arms.   
*We don't know each other* the girl quickly sent. She   
ran over next to them and put on her scared look.  
" I'm frightened," she blubbered, huddling close to   
them as yet another explosion came from the park. The fight   
was still going on.   
Minako burst from Chibi-usa's arms as soon as her feet   
were on the ground and tried to push her way in between   
Usagi and the young man, but ended up falling down instead.   
Chibi-usa scooped her up before she could do anything but   
begin to cry.   
" I'm so sorry about my sister," she began when a   
figure in black landed beside them. Somehow, she kept from   
calling out his name in gratitude.   
" I've got these two, " Tuxedo Kamen said to the   
young man, picking up the two girls. " Get her out of here."   
He pointed down the street away from the park and   
jumped to the top of the building and out of sight.   
" He's right," Shino admitted and pulled her to her   
feet. He tugged on her arm and they began to run in that   
direction. She followed him for a couple of blocks, and   
then slipped away and into an alley before he could react.   
Her wings unfurled as she changed, and she leapt up to the   
low rooftop on her left and started making her way to the   
park.  
  
************************************************  
  
They didn't need to count it off or give any   
signal. They were beyond such simple means. One moment   
they were watching Flare finally break through Mars'   
defenses and preparing to administer the coup-de-grace. The   
next, Uranus was off like the wind, her feet kicking up a   
cloud of the last of the cherry blossoms from the ground.   
Her own attack did what they expected.  
Flare brought her sword up to deflect it away.   
Uranus' shoulder caught her in the chest, driving her to   
the ground. The redhead snarled a curse and rolled to her   
feet just as the Space Sword came down where her head had   
been a moment before.   
They began to square off when she silently came in   
from behind and caught her off-guard with a brutal side   
kick into her lower back. Ignore me at your peril, she   
warned her opponent, pulled out her mirror and stuck it   
in front of her face. Just because I don't lug around an   
obvious weapon doesn't mean that I'm not a threat.  
" Submarine Reflection!" she whispered. The   
resulting blast sent her flying, but she wasn't on the   
receiving end. Her target screamed in pain and vanished,   
reappearing about twenty meters away.  
Their foe snarled in rage and began blasting away,   
carving long, deep furrows into the ground. They dodged   
easily, each backing away and to one side to draw her   
fire.   
  
************************************************  
  
The diversion had almost worked perfectly. Flare   
was so busy trying to hit the other Outers that she had   
been able to sneak up within five meters of her.   
To her surprise, though, she was noticed. Her foe   
dove to the side, rolled out of it, and neatly hit her   
partners with two short bursts of energy.   
" Sorry about that," she said, turning to face   
her. " It's tough giving those two a false sense of   
hope. I've been waiting for you."   
" Oh?" she replied, bringing her Glaive to the   
ready. Flare only smiled and created her sword again.  
" Is this how you really want it?" Saturn asked,   
looking over the redhead's shoulders. The others were   
still down, but Mars was beginning to stir. C'mon,   
Rei-chan, she encouraged the priestess. Please don't   
miss this opportunity.   
" Yes," Flare grinned and attacked. Their weapons   
were a blur of ripostes and blocks as they tested each   
other for nearly a minute until she was able to lever   
her opponent's sword into the position she wanted.   
" You know what they say in some Chinese martial   
arts philosophies?" she grunted, straining to hold the   
position. " They call the sword the queen of all weapons."   
She waited until the grin started on Flare's face   
and disengaged, but not in the way expected. Using the   
two blades on her weapon to trap the sword blade, she   
shoved it down towards the ground and brought the haft   
of the Glaive around and into her face.  
" But the staff is the king," she finished,   
disarmed her and jumped back to give a clear field of   
fire. " Mars!"   
  
************************************************  
  
Saturn's shout brought her fully to her senses, the   
haze fading in the rush of adrenaline. An opening! her   
instincts screamed at her, and she got herself up to where   
she was kneeling.   
" Mars' Flame Sniper!" she cried, bringing her hands   
into position just like she was using her own bow back at   
home. Saturn was leaping back and away from Flare, her   
Glaive held out in front of her and creating a barrier.   
Flare was looking straight at Saturn, and hadn't noticed   
that she was up. A scintillating beam of energy bounced   
off of the Senshi's shield.   
This was too easy, she realized. She was a crack   
shot, and this shot was mere child's play. She concentrated   
briefly, bringing her point of aim onto the redhead's face.   
Without warning, all she could see were a pair of largish,   
brown eyes on the face of the new girl. Hamaji was a little   
nervous at first, with it being her first day at a new   
school, and a Catholic one at that. She took it onto   
herself to at least be nice to her, and didn't make fun   
of her like some of the others. It led to a brief case   
of hero worship, naturally.   
She sort of liked the adulation at first, since   
she was never really popular with most of the other   
girls. She had a reputation for being different due to   
living at the shrine. While they never became close, or   
even friends, Hamaji was never as distant as the others.   
She lowered the arrow and let it dissipate with a   
frustrated sob.   
" Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"  
" Tuxedo Smoking Bomb!"  
The two cries rang out, heralding the arrival of   
the Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. Flare had the opportunity   
to recover, thanks to her hesitation, and nimbly jumped   
away, avoiding the attacks. She was about to go back on the   
offensive when Sailor Sun appeared behind her.   
" Enough, Flare," he said, putting a hand on her   
shoulder to restrain her. " That will be enough for today."   
The redhead didn't look happy about it, but stopped   
anyway. She turned towards Saturn, who had made her way   
over by the other Outers. Her sword was brought up in front   
of her face and held there a moment before she slashed down   
and to her right in a brief salute, and they left, fading   
away in the sunlight.   
  
************************************************  
  
The blonde dropped the hair she had been trying   
to pin up on top of her head, went over to Rei and put   
an arm around her. The girl with the black hair had   
been standing there for nearly a minute and staring   
into the mirror after she finished putting up her hair.   
She gave her a reassuring squeeze. " Rei-chan, come on   
and get undressed. A hot bath will make you feel a lot   
better after everything today."   
Usagi began to undo the sash of the white robe that   
Rei was wearing. The action seemed to wake her up at   
least, and she pulled away and began to undo it on her own.  
" I couldn't do it, Usagi-chan. I had her in my   
sights and I couldn't do it."   
" Rei," she pleaded with her. " Don't feel so bad   
about it. I know that I couldn't shoot you if I had to."   
" Thanks," she grudgingly admitted. She went around   
behind Usagi, put her hair up for her, and gave her a   
gentle push towards the tub. " I'll be all right, silly."   
Usagi smiled and turned on the shower before taking   
a seat on one of the small, wooden benches. " Wouldn't it   
be great to have one these at home?"   
" Usagi-chan, that tub alone is bigger than Shingo's   
room," she pointed out. One thing these safehouses of   
Setsuna's had in common was certain creature comforts,   
and this was the most opulent of them. The bath on the   
other side of the room could easily hold a dozen people,   
and a lot more if they were friendly. She'd seen smaller   
ones in some public bath houses.   
" I know," she sighed and began to lather   
herself. " Still, it would be so nice."   
" Yeah, and your father would have to get another   
job to pay for the gas bill," Rei laughed and sat down   
by her friend. " Or maybe Shingo."   
" Hotaru says dinner will be ready in about thirty   
minutes," Michiru said after sliding open the door and   
poking her head in. " May I join you?"   
" Certainly," Usagi smiled, beginning to rinse   
herself off. She wanted to spend a few hours soaking,   
but thirty minutes would have to do. Michiru smiled   
back and came in, slipping out of her robe and putting   
it by the door. She already had her hair up in a clip.   
" Haruka?" she called out, rapping lightly on a   
wooden door as she walked over to the shower. Usagi   
and Rei finished and got into the tub to soak. A few   
moments later, the door to the sauna opened up and   
Haruka came out.   
" Dinner in half an hour," Michiru reminded her,   
and then playfully sprayed her with a bit of cold   
water that made the tall woman jump and the others   
giggle.  
" I'll get you back, Michiru," she smiled back   
and began to rinse off before getting in the tub near   
the others. " I wish we had a sauna at home."   
Usagi grinned as Rei closed her eyes and sank down   
into the water as far as she could without getting her   
hair wet.   
" Don't mind her," Michiru told them while slipping   
into the water. " She's addicted to those things. She   
likes to sweat, I think."   
" You've got that right," Haruka grinned and   
flicked a bit of water at Michiru before her face got   
more serious. " Rei-chan?"   
" Yes?" she replied, pushing herself back into   
a more upright position.   
" I'm sorry, but I heard you talking earlier," the   
woman admitted. " You did a good job today, and I wanted   
to make sure you knew that."   
" Haruka," she protested. " I froze."   
" Rei-chan," she gently went on. " We were watching   
you, remember? You did a good job against her on your   
own after Jupiter and Mercury went down. The only time   
that you froze was when it wasn't important."   
" Usagi-chan seems to be right about their not   
wanting to hurt us," Michiru added, giving Usagi a   
brief nod of acknowledgment. " It didn't matter today."   
" When it matters, you won't hesitate," Haruka   
finished. " I have faith in you."  
" Thank you," she whispered, grateful for their   
encouragement.  
" Speaking of when it matters, though," the tall   
woman smoothly steered the conversation on to her next   
item. " What are you thinking of doing, Usagi-chan?"   
The other blonde made a face and sighed. " I'm not   
really sure, Haruka-san. We did a lot better against her   
today. Maybe if we can get everyone working together on   
her at once we can stop them."   
" Tactically sound, but I was wondering about   
tomorrow."   
" I think we should make sure that they're not   
bluffing," she decided. " I'd hate to do all this   
just because they're good at poker."   
" Usagi, should we let them attack tomorrow,   
then?" Michiru asked.   
" Better tomorrow than Friday," Rei chipped   
in. " There are a lot of people in Nagasaki."   
" That's what I'm hoping to avoid," Usagi   
grimaced. " We'll just have to hope that something   
comes up before then, or they make a mistake somewhere.   
The alternatives aren't very promising. We either figure   
out how to get a Planet attack to work, or I use the   
crystal and hope for the best."  
" No," Haruka growled. " That isn't a viable   
alternative. Hotaru first."   
" Haruka!" Usagi raised her voice. " We will   
have none of that kind of talk here. I will not allow   
you to do that. Do you understand?"   
" All right," the tall blonde sighed and slumped   
down into the water. " I don't want that to happen   
either, Usagi-chan. I don't want to have that happen   
to either of you."   
  
************************************************  
  
" I'm ready, Usagi-chan," the girl replied, pushing   
her glasses back into place. They always chose the most   
irritating time to slide down her nose.   
" What about passwords and stuff?" she asked,   
recalling what she had seen in some movies. " Aren't   
they going to think it is just a prank if it isn't in   
the right code?"   
" We don't have the codes, Usagi-chan," she explained,   
opening and closing a few more windows on the monitor   
screen. " They way they make the recent codes there is   
no way for me to get those. What will happen is that this   
will not be in code, but it will be coming in on their   
most secure communications lines."  
"So, it's how the message gets there that convinces   
them?"   
" Exactly," she smiled. " Setsuna's got a back door   
that will let me tap their satellite links and insert the   
message. Our next window is pretty soon, though. It can't   
be very long, either."   
" Well," she replied, and leaned over to type several   
words into the computer before looking at Ami. " How about   
this? Short and sweet enough?"   
" Short and succinct would be a better description,"   
Ami added, entering in the message. " But it should work,   
and at least we tried to warn them. Any signature?"  
The blonde thought about it for a moment, and then   
tapped in three more letters.  
" Are you sure?" Ami asked.   
" They're going to have to get used to it sometime,   
right?"  
" That's true," Ami decided, and hit the ENTER key.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Not a threat?" he chuckled, holding out the bag   
of peanuts to her.   
" Shut up!" she snapped at him but took a couple. She   
was still sporting a bruise on her nose, but the one to her   
pride had been the one to sting. " Remember, it is your idea   
to play with them like this. I would have killed them already   
if it were a real fight."   
" I know, Flare," he quickly replied, soothing her ego.   
She had been sulking earlier when he went to talk to her, so   
he let her cool off for a while before meeting here. His   
partner was a skilled combatant, even if she was a bit   
overconfident, and he still needed her help. " You've done   
well against them."   
" Thanks," she grudgingly admitted, and let the wind   
take one of the empty shells away and over the edge of the   
tower. The last work crews fixing the damage she caused   
earlier had left when darkness began to fall. " Why are   
we meeting here again?"  
The tone of her question surprised him more than   
the question itself. Her voice was thoughtful, or maybe   
even introspective. Her usual anger was curiously absent.   
" I remembered liking it here," he replied and   
decided to open up a little more. In part, it was the   
desire of his old self to have a friend that made him   
do it. If nothing else, he'd get to see how she reacted   
to his gesture. " I used to come here before, I think."   
" Does what we have to do bother you?"   
" It would have at one time," he admitted, and then   
wondered why he had agreed to let so much of his feelings   
show. Time to turn the tables. " And you?"   
" Nothing bothers me now," she flippantly responded,   
but had hesitated slightly before saying it. She was   
feeling much like he was, he guessed. Maybe she wasn't   
such a cold fish after all.  
" That's good," he said and regretted the lateness   
of the hour. This exchange promised a new level of their   
relationship together. " I don't have much time since I   
still have to keep up appearances. Take it easy tomorrow   
and rest for a little while. Even you need to now and   
then, and they'll have to after today."   
" Just hit the remains of the atoll, then?" she   
asked him.   
" Yes, that should be sufficient," he answered her   
and watched her leave. It struck him as he faded away   
that he didn't even know what she did in her spare   
time. He'd have to remember to ask her about that.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Skipper?" a voice accompanied the knocking   
the second time.  
" Yes," he called out, shaking his head in an   
effort to bring himself more fully awake. It was his XO,   
but his voice didn't indicate it was an emergency.   
" Sir," the younger man began, closing the door   
behind him. " We just received an unusual message, and... "   
" Go on, Frank," he gently prodded him. " You wouldn't   
be waking me up if it wasn't important.   
" This came in on the routine dispatches from the   
Pentagon," the XO said, holding out a clipboard. He took   
it and glanced at the message.   
" 'Another explosion imminent. Leave ASAP. Signed,   
NQS.' What is that supposed to mean?" he read out the   
message and looked at his second.   
" It was in the clear and uncoded. Normally, I   
would have simply dismissed it as some crank, but it   
came in sandwiched between test orders to confirm the   
authorization protocols to begin a nuclear exchange."   
" What?" the ship's captain exclaimed, biting back   
a curse. " Are you sure that this isn't one of the kids   
in Communications playing a joke?"   
" Yes, sir. I didn't believe it myself, but Captain   
Tyler was the officer in charge of that section and he   
personally transcribed and decoded the messages. We already   
checked with the Pentagon, and they confirm sending   
everything else we received. The National Security Agency   
is looking into the matter as we speak."   
" I've known Tyler for years," the captain   
mused. " We went to Annapolis together. He doesn't   
have a sense of humor on the job. If he says this came   
in with those transmissions, this message did. It will   
take the spooks in Washington another day just to decide   
what happened, and we don't have that time.   
" I want the fleet two hundred nautical miles to   
the north of the blast site by sunrise, and that includes   
any other vessels in the vicinity. Evacuate any people on   
any of the other islands in the vicinity as well. Begin   
the air operations at once."  
" Are you sure about this, Skipper?"   
" Yes," the older man mused. " If someone can break   
into those communication systems, we're in trouble. No   
matter what happens, the fleet is safer out in open   
waters, and we've got a lot of civilians on board we   
have to keep safe as well. We can do our job just as   
well from that distance."   
" Aye, sir," the exec saluted and turned to leave.   
" One more thing," the captain called out. " Tell   
Tyler to get on the horn to the Pentagon. I'm feel like   
I'm going to have a long day explaining this."   
  
************************************************  
  
" I wanted to thank you for coming back tonight," he   
started, looking around at the other three women. They were   
all sitting in the darkness of the observation room at the   
summit of the roof of the mansion. The only light was from   
the city below them and a few candles. Ami was to his left   
on one of the couches, and Michiru and Haruka occupied the   
other. He was in one of the chairs and swirling around a   
glass containing a shot of Glenfiddich that he still hadn't   
drank from.   
" What can we help you with, Mamoru-san?" Ami   
volunteered.   
" I need someone to talk to about a few things," he   
admitted.   
" Not just someone," Michiru added. " You   
specifically asked for us."  
" That's true," he sighed. " I have some ideas   
about something that might help us in our upcoming   
battle. I can't talk about it just yet, though. I want...   
I need to work everything out first, and I need some more   
information from you three."   
He looked at each of them, waiting for them to   
agree before he continued. " Ever since we all met, I   
was confused about why the Outer Senshi were more   
powerful than the Inners. At first, it was only an   
idle thing that I used to consider now and again, but   
when I started working in the library here that same   
thought started nagging me.  
" I made up a list of everything that I knew about   
you that might be a clue to explaining it. I knew that   
you were active before we met. When did you first become   
Senshi?"   
" It was about six months before we first heard of   
Sailor Moon," the blonde replied, finally speaking as she   
mulled over where he might be going with this line of   
conversation.  
" And that was about the same time that Artemis   
told me he first knew of Minako being Venus," Mamoru said.  
" Something Setsuna told me made me feel that she   
started on the same night that I became Neptune for the   
first time," Michiru responded after a moment of thought.   
" It can't be the total amount of time that they've   
been Senshi," Ami protested, shaking her head. " If that   
was true, Minako-chan would have been comparatively that   
much more powerful than we were when we first met."   
" I see that you've been thinking about this as well,   
Ami-chan," Mamoru smiled at her. He really wished that the   
real proof of that idea being wrong was here. If it was   
only a matter of time as a Senshi, Setsuna would never   
have needed their help.   
Ami probably understood that as well, but didn't want   
to remind the two other women of a painful subject. " No,   
that isn't the answer. Usako told me about some of your   
first practice sessions together. Minako-chan had a much   
different approach than the rest of you about fighting   
since she had done more of it than you, but she was still   
at around the same level as you."   
" If it helps," Haruka spoke up. " We saw Minako-chan   
fighting a daemon once-"   
" A daemon egg!" Ami gasped. " She never told us   
that."   
" I don't think she realized it was a daemon egg. It   
took her several hits to take it down, but she didn't seem   
to be aware of the fact that it was different from a youma."   
" Also," Michiru started talking, taking over from   
the blonde. " We did fight a few youma, it turned out. They   
were probably scouts. Until we got to compare notes   
recently we thought it was a defective batch of daemon   
eggs since they weren't as powerful as the others and   
were acting differently from the others. We usually   
destroyed a daemon in one or two hits at most, but these   
were comparatively fragile. Haruka got one on a near miss."  
" I didn't miss," the blonde pointed out. " It was   
a warning shot."   
" That helps to explain a little bit," Mamoru quickly   
cut in. " But there's a few other things as well.   
" When you were reincarnated after Beryl," he said   
and saw Ami shudder at the unpleasant memory. " Sorry,   
Ami-chan. After that, the Inners were generally the same   
for a little while. During the time I was moonlighting,   
you managed to boost your power levels for some reason. Right   
after that, you all got new transformation wands from Luna   
and Artemis and powered up a second time. A little while   
later, the same kind of thing happened again thanks to Elios."   
" Hotaru-chan did the same for us when we started   
fighting Nephrenia," Michiru interjected and grew   
thoughtful. " She disproves most of your theories, doesn't   
she?"  
" Yes," the young man chuckled. " She's the monkey   
wrench that is fouling up the gears, if you'll pardon the   
pun. If I include her in my comparisons, I can't make any   
theories work."   
" Did you know she doesn't change in size like the   
rest of us when she transforms?" Ami asked them. While   
the two other women were slightly surprised, the man   
wasn't.   
" The subject came up when we were talking once   
several months ago. I asked her what it felt like when   
she transformed," he explained. " Her answer was not what   
I expected. She said that she didn't change inside. It   
was more like she was changing clothes rather than   
becoming someone else."   
" That feeling of being someone else is something   
that all of us have felt, Mamoru-san," the girl with blue   
hair said after she thought about what he just revealed.   
" I've been down that road as well, Ami-chan," he   
reassured her and steered the conversation away from what   
he was trying to skirt around. He still didn't like what   
he feared they would have to do, and this was getting too   
close to it for his comfort. " The other thing I wanted to   
ask, though, was about the talismans. Is there anything   
else to them that we don't know about?"   
" You're just full of questions tonight," Haruka   
smiled and leaned forward to pour herself a shot of the   
scotch. She used a brandy snifter, however, and swirled   
the amber liquid around and inhaled it's aroma before   
going on. Her voice held none of the guarded edge that   
they used to expect from her in response to the implication   
of her holding back information. " No, at least not to our   
knowledge. Setsuna was the one who knew about them and what   
they could do.  
" They might have been able to do something together,   
but we don't have all three of the talismans. I'm sorry,   
Mamoru-san."  
" It isn't your fault, Haruka-san," he replied. While   
it wasn't what he hoped to hear, every little bit of   
information, even the negatives, eased his troubled   
spirit. He didn't want to miss any possible alternative   
to his plan. " I really wish Setsuna-san was here, too."  
" We all miss her," Michiru added.   
" You've all been a big help to me, even if it   
doesn't seem like we accomplished much," he told them   
after looking at his watch.   
" Sounds like a dismissal to me," Haruka dryly   
observed, stood and pulled Michiru to her feet. " The   
morning, then?"  
" Yes. I still have some work to do tonight, so   
we'll go over it tomorrow," he decided. He'd talk to   
them at that time about this. Finally, he took a sip of   
the scotch and walked the three of them downstairs and   
to their car. After they left, he returned to room they   
had been in and sat still for a little while composing   
himself.   
He took from the same place he stored his cane and   
roses a glass jewelry case that held four old, age-worn   
stones resting on a bed of velvet. The case was put onto   
the table. Next, he took out five glasses and a bottle of   
a very fine, old, red wine that he had uncorked a little   
while ago to let breathe.  
He didn't shake as much this time when he reached   
inside of himself and took out a crystal sphere the size   
of a tennis ball that glowed a warm golden color. In the   
darkness, the glow was all the more noticeable.  
" Come join me one last time, my friends," he called   
out while drawing upon the power inside the sphere to help   
establish contact and power the spell. It unfolded like a   
flower in response to his actions. " It is said that power   
corrupts, and it does. What they don't warn you about is   
how as your power increases, the number of limitations on   
that same power seems to increase as well.   
" I need you tonight. I have a difficult choice to   
make and your guidance would be a great blessing," he   
added, and then smiled at the four men who were now in   
the room with him. Their near identical, gray uniforms   
brought back many memories, and most of them were fond. He   
took the bottle and began to pour.  
  
*********************************************   
  
" How are you feeling, Mako-chan?" Hotaru asked   
as she eased the minivan into traffic on the freeway.   
" A little sore, but other than that I'm all   
right," the brunette replied, nervously watching the   
other cars in their mad dance for position at a break   
in the rush hour congestion. She had never been on the   
freeways this time of the day on a school morning and   
wasn't fully prepared for it. " Are you sure that you   
have a license for this?"   
" The same as you do," she laughed, handed a   
laminated plastic card over and switched to a creditable   
imitation of one of Haruka's racing friends that had   
helped them to learn to drive. His heavily accented   
English had been a source of amusement. " Hello,   
officer. My name is Christine, and I'm visiting here   
from the United States."   
She even wished him a good evening in halting,   
awkward Japanese that made Chibi-usa break into a fit   
of giggling in the back seat. Makoto laughed and handed   
'Christine' back her license. She had one as well, but   
she didn't have a car or much time driving. Nor could   
she speak English well enough to pull off the   
deception. It was a good thing it was only supposed   
to be for emergencies.   
" Hotaru-chan is a good driver," Chibi-usa   
finally was able to say from the back since she had   
recovered her breath. Traffic was easing up now that   
they were past the last freeway interchange that led   
to the business districts. " Did we get all the right   
things at the market?"   
" I think so," Makoto smiled. It was nice to have   
some volunteers to help her out in the kitchen. It was   
also nice to see that Usagi's relative ineptness in the   
kitchen didn't seem to be hereditary. The young girl had   
good sense in the kitchen.  
Speaking of Usagi, she had called them this morning   
and set up a meeting at the estate they were at last   
night. If she had known about it beforehand, she would   
have simply stayed the night there. Maybe she'd have the   
time to catch another soak in the tub and loosen up a bit.  
" I'm sorry," she said, realizing Hotaru had been   
talking. " My mind wandered."   
" That's all right," Hotaru flashed her an   
understanding smile as she took the off ramp and began   
the climb up into the hills. " I wanted to warn you about   
something. We'll probably be fighting Flare again soon. I   
think she was just playing with you earlier."   
" I was afraid of that," she said, unconsciously   
pressing her hand against the bruise on her stomach from   
yesterday. " She wasn't really getting close to me until   
I tagged her and she got her pride hurt."   
" Well, she did the same thing to Haruka and   
Michiru. She's better than she lets on, Mako-chan. Don't   
let your guard down."   
" She must be good to hit them," Chibi-usa   
agreed. " I can't even get close to them in practice."   
" Thanks for the warning, Hotaru-chan," Makoto   
replied. " Did you have any special reasons for giving   
it to me?"   
" I'm just feeling guilty. I'm the only one who   
really has a defensive power."   
" At least it's not because she keeps on hitting   
me," the brunette joked. " I feel like her punching bag."  
  
************************************************   
  
" That was a good job on breakfast, Mako-chan," Usagi   
said to the tall girl as she finished putting the cups on   
the tray.   
" All I did was supervise," Makoto chuckled. " Chibi-usa   
wanted to do it on her own today. The only thing I was   
allowed to do on my own was make sure she didn't make   
any mistakes. Other than that, I was following her orders."   
" Well, it still hit the spot," the blonde   
giggled. " Will you show me how to make the waffles   
like that?"   
" The waffles are one of the most dangerous parts,   
Usagi-chan," Makoto heartily laughed. " They're like most   
things in a western breakfast. One or two of something is   
pretty safe, but it's what you put on it that kills you.   
Do you know how bad all that whipped cream is for you?"   
" I don't want to know!" Usagi complained. " They   
taste too good to worry about details like that."  
" You'll never change, Usagi-chan," the brunette   
told her, picked up the tray and handed it to the   
blonde. " Mamoru-san looked pretty tired-"   
" Mamoru is pretty tired," the subject of their   
conversation grinned as he walked in and poured himself a   
cup of coffee. " I was up most of the night, Mako-chan.   
Would you excuse us for a few moments?"   
" Certainly," she agreed and took the tray from   
Usagi and picked up a pitcher of tea before going onto   
the den with the others.   
" Mamo-chan?" she asked, beginning to feel   
worried. He hadn't told her that he was up all night.   
" I'm all right, Usako," he reassured her. He   
took a sip of coffee before putting down the cup and   
taking her hands. His eyes caught hers before he   
spoke. " Usa, I need to tell you a few things before   
I talk to the rest of them. Would you hand me your   
broach?"   
She was puzzled but complied. He put it down on   
the counter next to the spherical crystal he removed   
from his pocket.   
" I love you, Usagi Tsukino."   
" Mamo-chan," she whispered and put her arms around   
him. He stroked her hair once and nestled her head down   
onto his chest.   
" What I'm going to say in there will hurt us. All   
of us, I'm afraid. Yes, I should have told you about this   
before, but I couldn't bear to do it. It hurt too much to   
think about it. I never doubted you for a moment, Usa. I   
would never dream of not trusting you.   
" I'm the reason that I delayed. Perhaps it was   
selfish of me, but I had to try anything else that I   
could think of before it came down to this."   
" Mamo-chan, what-"   
" Shush," he gently interrupted her and gave her   
a brief kiss. " Be patient. You'll learn what I mean. All   
I want is for you to listen to everything I have to say   
in there, but I had to tell you that I loved you beforehand."  
" I'll wait, Mamo-chan," she replied, deciding to   
trust him. She knew that he loved her and would never   
intentionally hurt her. She accepted her broach when   
he handed it back to her and picked up the other pitcher   
of tea. " Shall we?"   
" Yes," he decided, putting away his crystal and   
followed her into the other room.   
  
************************************************  
  
All of their eyes were on him when they walked   
in. It didn't surprise him too much since he asked them   
to be here. It was understandable that they were curious.   
Usagi took a seat and gently pulled him down to sit next   
to her.   
On his left was a large window overlooking the   
gardens and a view of Tokyo that belonged on a postcard.   
Luna and Artemis were sitting comfortably near each other   
on the low windowsill and enjoying the last of the mild   
morning sunshine. Rei was kneeling on a cushion by the   
long coffee table and making tea for the others. Apparently   
she had volunteered to be mother.   
To the right of the table were a pair of small   
couches. His daughter and Hotaru were sitting together   
on the first one, with Ami and Makoto taking the other   
one. Across the table, Haruka was laying across the back   
of another long couch and would occasionally make a face   
at Minako, who was sitting on Michiru's lap.   
He closed his eyes for a long moment to try and burn   
the image of them into his mind. They really were his family   
here, he had come to understand. There were no others whose   
welfare he placed higher than the people in this room.   
Usagi handed him a cup of tea that Rei passed over   
to her and he took a drink and a deep breath. " I'm very   
glad that you've been bearing up so well from all the   
stress and pressure that we've been under lately. I know   
that what has been going on with fighting Flare has not   
been easy to deal with. What I wanted to talk to you   
about is that there is a way for us to have a better   
chance against her."   
"What?" Makoto exclaimed and he looked away, not   
wanting to meet her eyes, or those of any of the rest. " Why   
didn't you tell us before this?"   
" It isn't that easy, Mako-chan," he explained in a   
bleak voice. " If it was easy to do, I would have told all   
of you much earlier. Will you listen for a little while   
before you pass judgment on what I have to say?"   
" Of course, Mamoru-san," Michiru called out in   
support. The others agreed and settled down. Usagi put one   
of her hands on his to comfort him.   
" As you know, I've been studying a lot about magic   
recently," he began. " I've been trying to learn how we do   
what we are able to do. In order to do this, I had to learn   
a lot about the basic theories behind just what magic is   
and how it works.   
" There are two things I need to explain to you and   
make sure you understand about this. Aside from Usagi-chan,   
who really knows what Queen Serenity did back in the Silver   
Millennium during the last battle?"   
" She gave up her life for us," Ami volunteered and  
Chibi-usa nodded in agreement.   
" What she did is one of the most basic forms of   
magic," Mamoru went on. " If you give up something of   
value, you can get something in response. That has led   
to, over the years, the idea of giving sacrifices and   
offerings to gods, for example.  
" But we can't do anything except our normal   
attacks, Mamoru-san," Makoto asked him. " We don't   
know anything about magic."   
" Actually, one of you already has done this,   
Mako-chan," he replied and pointed across the   
table. " She did."   
" Minako-chan?" Makoto asked, puzzled.   
" So that's how she did it!" Usagi gasped. " I   
knew what she did, but not how."   
" That's correct, Usagi-chan. I still don't know   
how she was able to use the crystal, or why she is still   
alive, but we know what she did. That leads us to the   
next thing I wanted to discuss."   
He looked over at the two cats. " Luna, Artemis. I'm   
sorry if this is a little blunt, but we made a mistake at   
the beginning. We _all_ made a mistake, but I especially   
don't want you to think that it is your fault. We were   
never meant to be like this."   
" Mamoru-san?" Rei asked, nearly dropping the cup   
she was filling for Ami.   
" This was the hardest part for me to accept, I'm   
afraid," the young man continued speaking. " When... when   
we were reborn in this time, we should have fully awakened   
to who we were in the past. There shouldn't have been any   
piecemeal memories of anything like we have now. What hurts   
is that we brought it on ourselves."   
" Oh, my heavens, Mamoru," Luna gasped. " You don't   
mean that..."   
" I'm afraid so, Luna," he grimly smiled. " Our   
subconscious didn't want to be totally replaced by this   
new part of us from the past. What we did to trick the   
new part was to place it off to the side and only let it   
take control part of the time. Instead of becoming who we   
should have been, we transformed."   
" It's so damn obvious!" Haruka growled, one hand   
clenching into a fist. " Why didn't we see it?"   
" Haruka, dear, you've never given in to   
anything," Michiru consoled her, leaning her head   
back against the blonde. " I knew you before we   
changed. Why would you have given in for this when   
you never gave in to anything before?"  
" It must have happened while we were learning   
about this new world we were in, Luna," Artemis said   
to her. " We must have learned that it could be that   
way so we'd accept it later on when we met the girls."   
"It's simple, Artemis," she sadly smiled. " I had   
to listen to Usagi-chan going on and on about all the   
different manga that she read. The idea of a secret   
identity is well established in literature and has been   
for years. We both read, listened to radio and watched   
television as well as people."   
" Mamoru-san, am I the proof of your second   
point?" Hotaru asked.   
" I think so, Hotaru-chan," Chibi-usa said from   
besides the young lady.   
" Yes, Hotaru, you are the proof. We should all   
be more like you," Mamoru paused to take a drink after   
telling her that. " Hotaru somehow understood the point   
when she was growing up, or at least on the second time."   
" Setsuna!" Ami exclaimed. " I bet that she knew,   
and she helped raise Hotaru-chan."  
" That's a good point, Ami-chan," the young man   
agreed with her. " That is probably true. What I want   
to emphasize, however, is that she doesn't think like   
you do about it. To her, her transformation scepter is   
merely a tool that changes her clothes rather than turns   
her into someone else.  
" That is the reason why she's been getting more   
powerful as time goes on," he went on. " Without that   
internal conflict limiting her development, she's been   
able to continue to grow at a steady rate. She's never   
had a sudden power up like the rest of you."   
" How can we do this, Mamoru-san?" Haruka   
thoughtfully asked.  
" I think I know and I don't like it," Usagi   
added. " Not one bit."   
" Usako, please?" he implored her. " I'm not   
going to ask anything like that of them. Nobody is   
going to have to die to do this."   
" What is the price for all this, Mamoru-san?" Makoto   
asked. " You said that it wasn't easy."   
" The whole point of a sacrifice spell is to give up   
something of value in order to get something in return," the   
man started explaining. " The higher in value the sacrifice,   
the more you get out of it. Usagi-chan has already told you   
that you can't give up being Senshi-"   
" So we give up the other part of us," Rei finished   
for him, looking around at the others.   
" My god," Makoto whispered.   
" No!" Usagi shouted, seeing the looks on her   
friend's faces and jumped to her feet in protest. " I will   
not allow this! They will not do this!"   
" I'm sorry, Usako," Mamoru said, taking her   
hand. " I told you this would be painful, but this isn't   
the worst part."   
" Mamo-chan?" she whispered to him, seeing the tears   
on his face. Her anger drained away at the sight of his pain.   
" This isn't just your decision, Usako. You see, the   
Senshi were never meant to be like this. It's worse for   
you, I'm afraid. Sailor Moon was never meant to be at all.   
That would be what you would have to give up."   
" No," Chibi-usa gasped and began to cry as   
well. Hotaru put an arm around her and hugged her.   
" What do you mean, Mamo-chan," Usagi finally   
asked, still not believing what she heard. If she had   
heard it, she didn't want to believe it. She let him   
pull her back down onto the couch.  
" We've seen the future, remember?" Mamoru bitterly   
laughed and looked at his love. "We know that you will   
become Neo-Queen Serenity. Diana told us once that Eternal   
Sailor Moon's power was the closest to that of the Queen.   
You've got nowhere else to go but up, Your Majesty.  
" Why do you think that I didn't want to tell you?   
The only thing that I can see happening is you agreeing to   
do it, Usako. You'll become the Queen, and the Queen isn't   
Usagi Tsukino. For me, the price that matters is losing   
the woman that I love."   
  
************************************************   
  
She gave Ami an imploring look and nodded her head   
towards the door as Mamoru slumped against her and openly   
wept. Ami got the other's attention and ushered them out   
of the room.   
" I have a right to be-" she heard Chibi-usa's   
protests cut off as Makoto bodily carried her from the   
room.   
" Mamo-chan," she whispered to him and let the   
tears flow as well now that they were alone. They stayed   
that way together for some time and she let him get all   
the pain out. He hadn't lied when he said this would hurt.  
" Thank you, Usa," he finally told her and sat up. He   
noticed the tears on her face and gave her a little   
grin. " We must both look horrible right now."   
" Men shouldn't cry in public, Mamo-chan," she , now feeling much better since he was smiling   
again. " You don't have the right complexion for it."   
" Do you have a better idea now of why I was so   
reluctant to bring this up?" he asked and got up to get   
some tissues for them.   
" I think so," she replied and loudly sniffed. " I'm   
sorry that I didn't wait to hear everything, Mamo-chan."   
" I understand what you're feeling, Usa. We've   
discussed it, remember?" he reminded her and blew his   
nose. " I don't want to see them hurt, either."  
" What is going to happen to them if we do   
this? What's going to happen to us?"   
" In terms of everything else, I have the least   
to give up, except for what I feel about you."   
She smiled at him and dabbed at her eyes   
briefly. " I love you, too, Mamo-chan, but why were   
you so worried about this? I'll still love you no   
matter what happens."   
" I never doubted that, Usa," he murmured as he   
sat next to her. " I never doubted you for a moment. That   
was part of what I was afraid of, however. You've given   
so much of yourself to help protect this planet and it's   
people that I knew you would do it again if it came down   
to it.   
" I'm scared of losing you. When we saw our future   
selves, when I saw the Neo-Queen, I couldn't imagine you   
in her place. She seemed to be colder, or more distant   
somehow. As soon as I realized what would happen to you   
if we did this, I was sure that my Usagi would be gone   
as a result."   
" You are not getting rid of me that easily,   
Mamo-chan," she playfully scolded him, making him grin   
in despite of himself. " Why do we give up less than them?"   
" In a way, we have less to gain, and less to give   
up. I'll become what Endymion will be in a matter of time. Now   
that I know more about magic, I understand more of what he   
was doing in the future. I don't have to make any drastic   
changes. You don't really have to do much, either."   
" Me?" she shook her head. " She was so regal and   
beautiful, Mamo-chan. I'll never be like her without help."   
" You, my dear," he laughed. " You need to look in   
a mirror more often. I can even prove that you're more   
like her now than you will believe. Hand me the Silver   
Crystal."   
She did so, but he made her hold onto the empty   
broach.   
" Change. Do something. Anything."  
" I can't, Mamo-chan. You know I can't do anything   
without the crystal."   
" My point exactly," he told her, trading her the   
crystal for the broach. " Don't you remember what our   
daughter was doing during practice on Sunday morning? She   
was doing everything she used to, and a far better job of   
it as well, and the only thing that she was using was her   
crystal.  
" This is a crutch, Usako," he explained, holding   
up the broach. " You've always had some kind of broach and   
the crystal when you were Sailor Moon. The broach has   
changed each time you take on another form, but the crystal   
stays the same.  
" The broach is an interface device, I'd guess, or   
maybe it was just your version of the other's wands. It let   
you use the crystal at first so you could understand and   
accept the concept. It's time to take the training wheels   
off, Usako."   
" How will I use it, though?" she asked him, looking   
at the crystal in her hand. " I was never able to make it do   
anything except once or twice, and that was when I was   
really scared."   
" Mama no baka," a voice said from behind one of the   
other couches, but there was only warmth and sympathy in   
it. " You've already started."  
" Chibi-usa-chan, come out here," the young man called   
out. The girl stood up and hopped over the couch to join them,   
and took her mother's arm. " It isn't very polite to listen   
in on people. Mako-chan was right when she carried you out."   
" I pulled rank on them," the girl replied, manifesting   
her gown for a few moments to make her point. " This is   
important, Father."   
" Not that important, young lady," he disagreed and   
picked her up much like Makoto had done earlier. " We are   
not going to do something that will jeopardize your   
existence, and that's all you need to know about what   
we are discussing right now."   
He returned after setting her down outside of and   
closing the door. After stopping at the stereo to put on   
some music to give them some background noise that would   
prevent her from listening in on them, he rejoined her.   
" A princess may beat six Senshi, but a king beats   
a princess," she giggled.   
" Six Senshi? You play a funny game of poker," he   
laughed before growing serious again. " She's right,   
though. You have started to use the crystal for more   
things lately. Going to see Naru-chan at the hospital,   
for example, and saving Umino's life are things that Sailor   
Moon was never able to do before. It is time for you to   
spread your wings, my lovely angel."   
" And what of them, Mamoru? What will happen to my   
friends?"  
He sighed and looked away for a moment. " They won't   
have it so easy, Usako."   
" Will they forget who they were? That's the part I   
don't think I could bear," she admitted, feeling more than   
a little sad. They had already gone through so much already.   
" No," he went on. " If they did, they wouldn't   
understand everything that they had given up. It doesn't   
work that way. They just won't be related to their past   
anymore."   
" I don't... I don't understand."   
" The people they used to be with wouldn't remember   
them as being someone they knew," the man explained. " If   
you did this, for example, you could go home, and your   
family wouldn't realize that you were once part of   
them. They'd see you, but they wouldn't recognize you   
as Usagi Tsukino, even if someone pointed out the   
resemblance."  
" That means..." she sniffled, getting ready to   
cry again. " No."   
" I'm sorry, Usako. We'll remember them because   
of how I'll get you to help me to cast the spell for   
them. They'll remember each other due to how they're   
related since they're all Senshi. But nobody else will."  
  
************************************************   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The End of the Beginning {2/3}  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

The End of the Beginning {3/4}  
  
  
  
  
  
  
" Artemis, are you coming with me?" she asked, her   
voice clearly indicating that this was not a question   
despite her choice of words.  
" Luna, what's wrong?" Ami asked, recognizing that   
the black cat was not in a good mood at the moment. She   
was sitting in the doorway to the garden from the room   
they had retreated to on the other side of the house after   
leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone  
and making a brief detour to the kitchen for more tea.   
" I am going to go off and indulge in a good sulk," the   
cat announced. " I think I deserve a short session of feeling   
sorry for myself after that. I completely missed what was   
going on inside of all of you. I should have seen it."   
" Luna-chan," Artemis scolded her as he jumped up   
onto a chair and settled down into a comfortable   
spot. " Weren't we just discussing this the other night?"   
" Yes, we were," she admitted. " That is why this   
is only going to be a short one. I won't be too far away,   
so call me if anything comes up."   
She turned and bounded off. The white cat muttered   
something under his breath and took off after her, calling   
her name.  
" She was always so stable, it seemed," Hotaru   
admitted. " I would have never thought anything could   
get to her."   
" She is stable," Ami replied, coming to Luna's   
defense. "That's why she said it was going to be a short   
one."   
" I'm more worried about ourselves," Rei said.   
" I'm not sure I can do this," Makoto admitted.   
" Stop, please?" Ami interjected. " We don't know   
enough yet to really make any decisions yet. Mamoru-san   
hasn't told us everything yet. We'd just be jumping to   
conclusions."   
To emphasize her point, she hit the control on the   
remote and turned the TV onto a local news station. The   
announcer was talking about the weather right now.   
" That's a relief," she said, hoping to take their   
minds off of their problems right now. She also fished   
out her computer and activated it. " It seems to be quiet   
right now. I wasn't sure that Flare would attack us today."   
" She didn't on Saturday, but we didn't know about   
her then," Haruka said. " Do you have anything on the   
evacuation, Ami-chan?"   
" There's been a lot more communication with the   
fleet over the military satellites, so I know that   
something is up. I don't know if they moved or not,   
though."   
" We tried, Ami," Michiru said, trying to keep   
Ami's spirits up. Mamoru's disclosure of the price was   
upsetting all of them. She could read it on their faces.   
She surreptitiously looked at them while they   
all pretended to watch the television over the next   
twenty minutes. It was really a chance for them to   
think about what the young man had said.   
To her left, Haruka was going over everything in   
her head. She knew that in the end the blonde's answer   
would be the same as hers. Hotaru, sitting alone as   
Chibi-usa had slipped away earlier while obviously   
thinking that they hadn't seen her, would probably   
react in much the same way. No, she didn't doubt any   
of her fellow Outer Senshi.   
Rei had put on her best inscrutable look from her   
time at the shrine. It didn't matter. She knew that Rei   
had strong feelings towards the princess and her   
safety. In all honesty, if it gave the shrine maiden   
a better chance of protecting Usagi, she'd do it. The   
decision wouldn't be easy, but she would do it.   
Ami and Makoto were the ones she was most worried   
about. They knew that Ami was having problems with her   
mother. The bruise, although starting to fade, was   
still quite noticeable and ample proof. Unfortunately,   
Ami still wasn't talking about just what the problem   
was. All she had said was that her mother had hit her.   
She had met Ami's mother several times over the   
past few years. She was a respected doctor and a kind,   
caring person. The woman was not the type that you   
would expect to be abusing her own child. To compound   
the problem, she felt that she was too close to Ami to   
be able to step in and interfere. It would only take a   
quick look into her mirror to determine the truth, but   
she wouldn't violate the trust of a friend.  
Then there was poor Makoto. The brunette had   
long since given up on the pretense of watching the   
news. She was simply staring at the screen without   
noticing what was going on. Makoto didn't even blink   
or turn away at the commercials.   
Maybe she was right, remembering Makoto's   
outburst the other day. When would they have the   
chance to be happy? Or, even worse, had that chance   
already passed them by? For all they knew, by this   
time tomorrow they wouldn't even remember who they   
were today.   
That thought made her stop and re-think a few   
things. She was willing to give up some of the things   
in her life. Her parents would be sorely missed, but   
she had dismissed those ties with her past long ago. She   
had already prepared herself for losing them. No, what   
she couldn't deal with was the idea of losing Haruka.   
Ami's computer beeped, making her jump. " It's   
starting."   
" Are they all away from the island?" Chibi-usa   
called out, running into the room.   
" To the best of our knowledge," the girl with   
the blue hair replied.   
" Got caught, huh?" Hotaru giggled at the young   
girl and motioned her over to join her on the love   
seat. Haruka stood up, walked to the open patio door   
and loudly whistled.   
" Would they prefer 'Here kitty, kitty' ?" she   
responded to some puzzled looks and sat back down next   
to her partner.   
" No, they wouldn't," Makoto giggled, finally   
smiling for once.   
" I'll probably do it," Haruka announced several   
moments later, sitting back and openly taking Michiru's   
hand.   
" Probably?" Rei said in surprise and   
blushed. " Forgive me, Haruka-san, but I thought   
that you among all of us would be the first one to   
decide."   
The blonde's answer pleasantly surprised her   
partner as she merely lifted their joined hands a few   
centimeters. " There are some things I won't give up."   
" What is it?" Luna called out as the two cats   
trotted in. Ami turned up the volume on the television   
as the station cut away to CNN giving an update that   
something had happened at Bikini.   
" How can we really expect to fight someone   
capable of doing that?" Makoto asked, her mood rapidly   
changing for the worst.   
" You'll have a valid chance, Mako-chan," Mamoru   
told her. He was standing in the doorway leading to the   
hall. " I know it hurts, but you'll have a chance."   
" How are both of you doing, Mamoru-san? Rei asked.   
" Usagi-chan is going to take another bath," he   
said, walking in and taking a seat in a vacant   
chair. " She's made an open invitation to anyone who   
wishes to join her."   
" What about you, though?"   
" I'd join you, too," he said, keeping his face   
straight. Hotaru groaned and threw a pillow at him.   
" Mamo-chan," his daughter complained as well.   
" I'm better," he admitted. Sure, it had been a   
bad joke, but he had them smiling a little bit. Anything   
was better than the mood they were in when he walked   
in. " Usagi-chan and I discussed some of the things   
that were bothering me, and we feel a lot better about   
them. What I wanted to talk to you about, though, was   
to finish what we were discussing earlier."   
" Where did you get all this information,   
Mamoru-san?" Artemis asked him.   
" Mainly from the library here," he   
responded. " I've been able to get some help   
from my guardians as well. They've taught me a   
lot of the things that I used to know in the past. My   
family was always skilled in magic, remember."   
" How much do you trust them, Mamoru-san," Michiru   
asked. " I'm still a little nervous about believing them   
after what they did to us before."   
" Implicitly," he responded without any   
hesitation. He placed an empty, gold wire-rimmed   
glass case on the table. They could see the four   
depressions in the black velvet where the stones   
used to sit.   
" That's... " Chibi-usa gasped and clapped her   
hands over her mouth like she was about to say something   
she shouldn't.  
" I'll have to remember to tell you about them   
sometimes, Chibi-usa-chan," the man sighed. " They   
were good friends, but they're gone now. I had to give   
them up in order to contact them this one last time for   
their advice."  
" I'm sorry, Mamoru-san," Michiru offered her   
condolences and began regret her earlier remark.  
" You used another type of a sacrifice spell for   
that, didn't you?" Ami asked. " Is that kind of magic   
that common?"   
The young man shook his head. " No, but it is one   
of the easiest kinds of magic to do. One of the reasons   
the magi were so eager to get their hands on the Silver   
Crystal is that it has a steady supply of power available   
to it. Think of a stream of water compared to a pool.  
"By sacrificing enough things, I can gather more   
power than the crystal can produce, but I'm going to have   
to keep on sacrificing to keep it up. Given that constant   
availability, a skilled mage can do a lot.   
" Despite that power," he went on, getting more   
serious. " I still haven't been able to figure out any   
other way of boosting your powers. This is the only   
thing that I can think of that is going to give you a   
better chance."   
" What is going to happen to us?" Makoto asked   
him. " Will we still be ourselves afterwards?"  
The young man took a deep breath, sighed, and told   
them the same things he told his lover earlier. He didn't   
mince any words or sugarcoat anything. They didn't deserve   
that kind of treatment.   
" That's even worse than forgetting," Rei said after   
he was done.   
" I think that's the point," Ami added. " It would be   
less painful not knowing about your past as opposed to   
knowing and not being a part of it anymore."   
" That's an inter-" Mamoru began to say when Makoto   
sprang to her feet and ran sobbing from the room and out   
onto the patio. Haruka softly swore under her breath, glanced   
at Michiru, nodded once, and ran after the brunette.   
" I just put my foot in my mouth again, didn't   
I?" Ami sighed.   
  
************************************************  
  
" I'm sorry about spying on you, Usagi-chan," the   
pink haired girl said with a sincere voice as she closed   
the door behind her. " It's dark in here."   
" Saunas are like that," Usagi smiled. Her eyes   
were already adjusted to the darkness. " Two steps   
forward to the bench, Chibi-usa-chan."  
" Thank you," she said, bumping into and then   
sitting on the wooden bench. " Why are you still in   
here, Usagi-chan? Is everything all right?"   
" No, little one. It isn't all right," she   
admitted. " I don't like how things have been going   
today. I don't feel right about this whole thing. I   
feel... dirty somehow."   
The girl scooted over until she was sitting next   
to the blonde. " Do you want to talk about it?"  
" Yes," she whispered. " Rei-chan told me about   
Mako-chan. I feel so guilty because they're going to   
give up so much. I'd scrub and scrub and scrub, but I   
still felt dirty because I get to keep my past and they   
don't. Mamo-chan says that it wouldn't do either of us   
any good since we're so close to what we are going to be. For   
the two of us, it is just a matter of practice instead of   
how we think."   
" They haven't decided yet, Usagi-chan."   
" They don't have to, Chibi-chan," Usagi bitterly   
laughed. " They'll do it. I know them. Hotaru did it. Minako   
did it. Setsuna did it, too, I think. Now, the rest of them   
will. It hurts to think that they'll do this because of me. I   
don't want this to happen to them."   
" Usagi," she whispered and leaned her head down on her   
mother's shoulder. The blonde responded by putting an arm   
around her. After holding onto the girl for a few minutes   
she began to silently cry.   
  
************************************************  
  
The motorcycle rolled to a stop at a parking place   
and the driver took off her helmet. She ran a hand back   
through her short, blonde hair and looked down the street   
towards the shops. It wasn't hard to find who she was   
looking for.   
The brunette she was following stood out in the   
crowd like she always did due to her height. She was as   
tall or taller than many of the men, and often seemed to   
tower above most of the women.   
One more burden for her to bear, the motorcycle driver   
said to herself as she dismounted. Makoto had never been   
very comfortable with being different, although she knew   
that size wasn't the issue today.   
" Enough," she told herself and walked forward. It   
was still warm, so she pulled down the zipper on her riding   
leathers a little bit in order to cool off. She had been   
following Makoto since the late morning when she ran   
off. Pausing only to change and get one of her motorcycles,   
she had shadowed Makoto.   
They still didn't know if there was going to be a   
fight today, so she had wanted to be able to promptly   
respond and get Makoto there as well. That was the reason   
that she'd chosen the motorcycle in the first place.   
At this late hour, it was looking like one of the   
cars would have been better. The sun was beginning to   
develop a red tint as it neared the western horizon. There   
had been no sign of Flare or Sailor Sun today.   
" It's getting late, Mako-chan," she told her, putting   
a hand on her shoulder. " Let's go home."   
" Home," she bitterly said and looked away, not meeting   
her eyes. " I don't have much of a home to go back to, remember?"   
" Utter nonsense, Mako-chan," she snorted and held out   
a spare helmet she'd brought with her. " What about us?"   
" You've been following me, I gather," she guessed and   
took it. She undid her hair so that it was loose and put on   
the helmet.   
" All afternoon," the blonde replied. " If you'd like,   
you can stay with us tonight."   
" I'd like that," Makoto whispered and they walked to   
the motorcycle. It only took them about a half hour to make   
it back due to the freeway, although Haruka wasn't pushing   
it. She didn't want to attract the attention of a certain   
officer right now, not when she had a passenger.  
It was strange having someone besides Michiru sitting   
behind her. Her companion was used to what the passenger   
needed to do, and understood how to lean into turns in   
order to make her own task easier. Makoto wasn't familiar   
with this, and had tightly wrapped her arms around her   
waist.   
They were lucky tonight. They didn't even see a   
member of the police force until they stopped at the   
gates of the mansion to wait for them to open and a patrol   
car cruised by as it made the rounds. Haruka drove up to   
and into the garage, but Makoto made no move to get off   
after they stopped.   
" I feel like I'm giving them up, Haruka-san," Makoto   
said in a hollow voice due to her helmet and leaned forward   
against her. The blonde could almost feel the tension going   
out of the girl as she relaxed for the first time since that   
morning. " There won't be anyone left to remember them."   
" Mako-chan?"  
" My parents," Makoto grudgingly admitted. " Their...   
our families disowned them when they married. That's why none   
of them took me in after the accident."   
" I'm sorry, Mako-chan," she told her and put one of her   
hands over the ones clasped in front of her. Makoto started to   
pull away, so she firmly held her hands in place until the   
girl realized that the gesture was meant to console.   
" They'll be so lonely, Haruka-san," the brunette went   
on. " I'm the only thing that makes my relatives remember my   
parents. I send some letters every so often, and even though   
they come back marked as being refused, I know that our   
families have to think of my parents when they don't accept   
them. I'll be the only one saying prayers for them, or   
tending their grave."   
The taller woman blinked in surprise and removed her   
helmet. Makoto had never told any of them the real extent   
of her problems with her relatives. She gently tugged at   
the brunette's hands and got her to dismount and take off   
the helmet.   
The look of defeat that the brunette had worn earlier   
when she ran from the house was gone, but what was left hurt   
even more. With her hair let down from her ponytail and her   
eyes still red and puffy, Makoto looked so small and   
vulnerable. It was as if the weight of the world was resting   
on her shoulders.   
" Mako," she murmured and wrapped her up in a hug. " I'm   
so sorry."  
Green eyes widened in surprise before she returned the   
embrace and clung onto the taller woman for comfort. It was   
nice to have a shoulder to lean on without having to stoop to   
reach it. " I always hoped that somehow they would accept me,   
Haruka-san. I wanted to be part of them so much.   
" Once, just after I turned seven, we'd gone to the   
family grave so my mother could pay her respects to one of   
her favorite aunts. We weren't invited for the funeral, and   
my mother was very upset that she only found out about her   
passing due to reading it in the obituaries.   
" I was full of energy that day, and had wandered on   
ahead of my parents. I met an old lady who was so nice and   
sweet to me. She even said that I was the kind of child that   
she had always hoped for.   
" Then, my mom came looking for me," she said,   
sniffling. " That was my grandmother, Haruka-san. When she   
found out who I was, she turned and walked away like we didn't   
exist."   
" There's an old saying that talks about how you can't   
choose your family," Haruka replied. " I'm very sorry that   
you have relatives that are so ignorant of the truth that   
they overlook a wonderful person. We may not be blood   
relatives, Mako-chan, but we can be your family, too."   
" Thank you, Haruka-san," the girl said and pulled   
her head back a little in order to look into her sea green   
eyes. " That means a lot to me."   
" You're welcome, onee-chan. Sisters do things like   
that for each other."  
" Sisters, huh? I never had any before," she giggled,   
feeling a little better thanks to the friendly banter and   
the infectious smile on Haruka's face. " It's sort of nice."  
" Well, you're all sort of like sisters to us already,"   
the blonde grinned. " With the exception of Hotaru-chan, I   
can see why Setsuna used to call all of us her little sisters."   
" Why not her?"   
" I was Haruka-papa to her, remember?" she laughed at   
the fond memory. " I still think of her as more like my   
daughter, I guess. Come on and we'll get you some dinner   
and some rest, Mako-chan. You're tired."   
" Am not," she protested, and then blushed furiously   
as she yawned in spite of her best efforts. Now that she had   
mentioned it, she did feel tired. They set off towards the   
bedrooms upstairs. " Why did you follow me today, Haruka-san?"   
" I wanted to apologize for something, Mako-chan,"   
Haruka reluctantly admitted several moments later. " Now   
wouldn't be a good time, though."   
" What is it?" she asked. She had caught a brief   
flash of the concern in those green eyes when she looked   
at her.   
" This may not be the best time to say it, Mako-chan,   
but I made a promise to you on Monday that I shouldn't have.   
I'm aware that I didn't know what Mamoru-san had planned,   
and that this isn't really my fault.   
" Still, I wanted to apologize. I said that you'd get   
the chance to be with your new friend and be happy. It's   
beginning to look like that won't happen, I'm afraid."   
" I know," the brunette sighed. " I'll get over it,   
though. Will you be honest with me about something else?"  
" Probably," Haruka replied and winced as Makoto   
playfully punched her in the arm right on the same spot   
that Michiru liked to hit. They'd learned that one from   
her during their practices, it seemed. The two walked into   
one of the bedrooms.  
" How are you so calm about this, Haruka-san? You have   
parents, and you're taking this far better than I am."  
" That's only because I've gone through this before,"   
she replied, turning one of the chairs at a desk around and   
straddling it. She didn't mind the question, but it did   
bring up a hint of pain. " Michiru and I distanced ourselves   
from them very early on. We didn't want them to get hurt because   
of our mission. I guess we've just gotten used to the idea having   
to give them up if it became necessary."   
" Haruka, how could you be so cold towards them?" she   
asked in sheer astonishment. She'd never really thought that   
someone wouldn't want to be with their parents if they had   
the chance.   
" It's not cold, Mako-chan," she replied thoughtfully   
as she stood up before leaving. " It was to protect them. We   
didn't want them to be hurt, and we didn't want them to be   
used as hostages. We were willing to die for the sake of the   
mission, but we couldn't ask that of them. That's how much we   
cared about them, Mako-chan."   
  
************************************************  
  
You should have been doing your homework, she reminded   
herself. The sun had already gone down, and all she had been   
doing since coming home at about one was to sit and stare at   
the walls. It was hard to work up any enthusiasm for a math   
assignment that she may not be around to turn in.   
The sound of the main doors of the shrine being closed   
seemed to echo inside her mind. What they all were   
considering would close off this part of her life. That   
fact was painful enough to consider already. Her grandfather   
was more her father than her father ever was, and this was   
going to hurt him so much.   
She had been raised by the old man ever since her   
mother passed away shortly after she turned five. Her   
father was more concerned with his political career than   
his family and had recently been appointed as the secretary   
to a powerful member of the Diet and was well on the fast   
track to joining that body himself.  
" At least this would mean that dinner is off," she   
chuckled to herself at the reference to what she dreaded   
about her birthday. That was the one time a year that she   
saw her father on a regular basis. She dreaded that quiet   
dinner at an expensive, exclusive restaurant where there   
was little to say to each other.   
Not having to go through that again was one of the   
few good things she could see about this. That, and having   
a better chance to protect her friends. On the other side   
of the scales was the rest of her life.   
She trusted the fire to guide her, but this was a   
decision she could not seek it's guidance on. This had to   
be her choice. What complicated matters was that she had   
long ago sworn an oath in a past life. That oath bound her   
as firmly now as it had in the past, even though she had   
only said it in her heart in this existence.  
Her heart and her deeds had proved it, her conscience   
told her. She shivered at the memory of what it was like to   
die as she deliberately reminded herself of the fact that   
it was her choice. She had to be honest with herself   
here. None of them were very comfortable talking about   
what had happened in the chill Arctic wastes, but she   
had proven that her oath was still in effect. They all had.   
Still, she had to tell him something. She wouldn't   
just vanish on him, not after he had done so much for   
her. He didn't deserve to be treated like that. She had   
just heard the doors to the inner shrine slide shut and   
a low chant begin, so she knew where he was.   
She went down the stairs and across the hallway. The   
socks she wasn't supposed to be wearing inside but still   
did in memory of her childhood didn't make a sound on   
the wooden floors. The door to the inner shrine was   
slid open a few centimeters.  
" Ojii-san?"   
" Rei-chan?" the old man turned, raising an eyebrow.   
She wasn't properly attired; her old, faded pink overalls   
and a white T-shirt were not what she was supposed to be   
wearing in here. He was in his white and blue robes exactly   
as he should have been, and could have declined her request,   
but he nodded instead. " Come in."  
" Thank you," she murmured and bowed to the flame   
before kneeling to his right side. " I'm sorry to interrupt   
you."   
" What is troubling you, child?"  
She smiled briefly, remembering how often they had   
started conversations with those words as he saw that she   
was troubled. He still could read her like a book, she   
realized.   
" I'm... sorry, ojii-san," she stammered. " I don't   
know how to say it."  
" Is it something that you feel that you must do?"   
" Yes," she admitted and suddenly jerked her eyes   
up to meet his. " How did you know?"   
His mustache almost hid the small smile on his   
face. " Wasn't I the one to teach you to read the flames,   
child?"   
She gasped in surprise and tried to get angry at   
him. He shouldn't have done anything like that to her, and-  
" Wait," he firmly said, holding up a hand. " The   
only thing I asked it, Rei-chan, was that if this something   
that you were being forced into against your will."   
The girl with the black hair took a deep breath and   
calmed herself. She hadn't been able to get very angry at   
him, anyway. He had the right to know that much.  
" You've been doing some unusual things the last few   
years," he began. " I trust your discretion, Rei-chan. If   
this is something that you don't feel comfortable with   
telling me, you don't have to. All I wanted to know was   
that you were safe and doing whatever it was of your own   
free will."   
" And what did it say?" she asked, suddenly curious.   
" Whatever dangerous things you were doing, it was   
of your own will," he responded with a mischievous look in   
his eyes.  
" Ojii-san!" she giggled and gave him an impulsive   
hug. " Thank you for understanding."   
He hugged her back before getting more   
serious. " You've always known what the right thing   
to do was, granddaughter. I trust you do the right thing   
now. I also take it that this means that you will be   
leaving soon?"   
" And just how do you know that?" she chided him,   
falling back into the comfortable routine of her teasing   
him.   
" I cheated a little bit on those reading," he   
volunteered, falling back on the same defense against   
the pain as well. " It's the only possibility that makes   
sense, Rei-chan. You wouldn't be here saying this to me   
if you were planning to stay."   
" Soon," she admitted. " I need to ask an important   
favor of you, though."   
He nodded, indicating that she should go on.   
" It's Yuui-chan. This is going to hurt him, and   
we've grown fond of each other recently," she candidly   
told him. " Will you look after him?"   
" Fond?"   
" Yes, fond," she said, steadily meeting his eyes. He   
held the stare for a moment before closing his eyes and   
nodding. She stood and formally bowed to him.   
" Thank you, ojii-san," she added before turning to   
go. " I'll leave you to your prayers then. I'm going to be   
down here later on, so I'll tend to the fire."   
  
************************************************   
  
The regular pattern of light and darkness from   
the freeway lights had already worked their hypnotic   
magic on her passengers as she took the interchange   
towards the harbor and her current home after she had   
dropped Ami off at her house. The soft silvery lights   
made her realize how much more that the sleeping girl   
in the passenger seat was beginning to look like her   
mother each and every day.   
It was harder to see when Chibi-usa was awake,   
thanks to their different facial expressions, but it   
was almost painfully obvious now. Each time they drove   
under one of the lights, her hair would look so pale that   
she kept on remembering the first time she had met Usagi. If   
their odango weren't shaped differently, she probably   
couldn't tell who was sitting next to her in the van.   
A quick glance into the rear view mirror told her   
that the other passenger was doing fine. It had been a   
difficult day for all of them, and the little girl had   
picked up on their unease. Minako-chan had spent most of   
the day being a bother, at least compared to her usual   
behavior. She had wanted to be constantly held or fussed   
over.   
It was only after she had exited and stopped at a red   
light that she gave in to her emotions and looked at the   
small picture attached to her key chain. " Papa," she   
whispered, looking at the smiling image of her father. It   
was a more recent picture, and it had been taken at a   
school festival when she was visiting him last Christmas.  
The photographer hadn't been very good, and the   
plastic enclosing it was a little cloudy, but it didn't   
matter to her. What was important to her was that there   
were not any traces of the haunted look he had often   
worn after he was finally released by the daemon that   
had controlled him for so long. It was an honest, open   
smile that made her so happy to see it.  
He still didn't remember very much about what   
had happened while he was leading the Deathbusters. He   
had known that he had done some bad things, and it hurt   
whenever he remembered that. The times he had met Haruka   
afterwards were not easy ones. She'd lost a friend to   
Kaolinite while she was acting under his instructions. The   
tall blonde had mostly forgiven him, but he hadn't   
forgiven himself.   
Further complicating matters was that he remembered   
everything after he had been released. She still hadn't   
told the others about his disclosure of that fact over   
the same Christmas holiday. He had been in a state of   
shock and denial immediately after finding out she was   
a child again, according to what Michiru had told her   
of that time.   
Even now, he still blamed himself for what she had   
done to stop Pharaoh Ninety because of his actions. She   
had never held it against him, and had taken great care   
to tell him that the last few times they had spoken. He   
had saved her and given her a second chance. Then, she   
had saved them and given them a third opportunity to be   
together.   
His knowing about who she was actually made what   
was going to happen far easier to deal with. Most people   
never got a second chance in life. She had three with her   
father. They both had made sure to let each other know what   
they truly had felt towards each other this time. Granted,   
it was small consolation when faced with the idea of losing   
him, but she was confident in her decision.  
  
************************************************   
  
" She's asleep," Haruka said, referring to the   
brunette that she had spent the last hour watching   
over. The tall woman sighed as she crested the top of   
the stairs and sank into a chair. She glanced around   
briefly and caught the man's eye before smiling. " Why   
do I have this strange feeling that we've done this   
before, Mamoru-san?"   
" I have no idea," he replied, smiling as well. He   
indicated the couch to his right where Michiru and Usagi   
sat together where they had been when he got there a few   
minutes earlier. " It was her idea, though."   
" What is it, Usagi-chan?" the woman asked, leaning   
back and putting her feet up on the coffee table. Haruka   
put them back down on the floor after Michiru slightly   
raised one eyebrow.   
" I'm still none too happy about this," Usagi   
began, looking at each of them in turn before going   
on. " I want all of you to know that I really don't   
like this whole idea."   
" I agree with you," Usagi-chan," Michiru replied,   
placing a hand on Usagi's. " I don't think that any of   
us really like it, but what if it is our only chance?"   
The blonde next to her looked down and deeply   
sighed. One hand clenched into a fist for several   
seconds before she shook her head sharply and looked   
up again.   
" Regardless of the decisions, we need to discuss   
something related to it. Mamo-chan says that you wouldn't   
be recognized by anyone who knew you, but isn't there   
something we can do for your families?"   
" I think what she means," Mamoru quietly added. " Is   
that while they wouldn't recognize you, your families would   
still have had a daughter."  
" Good point, Usagi-chan," Haruka conceded and nodded   
her head once in acknowledgment. " I didn't even think of   
that."   
" They'd be waiting for you to come home, and you   
never would," Usagi whispered. " There would be no... what   
was that word you told me, Mamo-chan?"  
" Closure."   
" You're absolutely right, Usagi-chan," Michiru   
decided. " Not knowing what happened would be far worse   
than knowing you lost a loved one. Did you want us to   
arrange something if it turns out to be needed?"   
" Yes," she admitted. " I'm not very good at all   
the details, and I figured that you might have some ideas   
of how we could do this. Maybe if we faked a car crash or   
something."   
" Not if I'm driving," the other blonde quickly   
interjected. Michiru smiled at her partner's protests.   
" She has a point, though. Assuming for the sake   
of argument that all of us are involved, one car wouldn't   
be enough to hold us. A house would work better."  
"A house?" Usagi stammered. " But-"  
" We've been prepared for this for a long   
time," Michiru explained to Mamoru and Usagi. " Money   
isn't an object. We've been ready to vanish as soon as   
we started fighting the Deathbusters if the need arose."   
" The house we spent the Christmas before last at,   
I'd say," Haruka added. " It's remote enough to need it's   
own natural gas for power. The storage tank is big enough   
that they wouldn't be surprised if they didn't find any   
remains of us, let alone the house."   
Usagi went pale and swallowed, feeling a little   
ill. " I don't think I really wanted to know that part."   
" So it's just a matter of leaving a trail that   
connects us to the house at the proper time, then?" Mamoru   
asked.  
" Assuming we do this on Friday, on that morning   
everyone who is going packs up their bags for a weekend   
stay in the mountains. They grab a few personal mementos   
and keepsakes that won't grab attention., along with a   
few things to leave at the house that won't be missed   
when it goes up. Then, they say good-bye, but only for   
the weekend, and we off we go. The police will be able   
to connect it all together."   
" It would be a good time to switch identities,   
anyway," Michiru added. " It is getting time we did   
that any way to avoid being traced."   
" What was that part about keepsakes,   
Haruka-chan?" Usagi asked.   
" It would be sort of suspicious if a bunch of   
people died in an unusual way and took all their   
valuables with them. The whole point here is to slip   
away and into another identity without being noticed,   
Usagi-chan."   
" That explains us, then, but what about   
Minako-chan?" Usagi asked. " I mean, not ours, but   
what about the girl impersonating her in Italy?"  
" She's wanted to stop doing this for a while," Haruka   
responded. " We can let her go back to her own life, but the   
only thing we can do for Minako's identity is to have her   
go missing. We don't have the contacts in Italy that we do   
here, so I don't see any way to arrange anything else on   
such a short notice unless you're up to impersonating   
her again."  
" I can't," Usagi said, shaking her head. " Almost   
all the memories that let me do that with her parents   
have faded away. The best I could do is to look like   
her if it absolutely comes down to it, and as long as   
Artemis isn't here. It hurts him too much."   
Mamoru caught Haruka's attention and tapped his   
watch. He could see the tears beginning to form in   
Usagi's eyes again and wanted to draw this to a close. It   
wasn't easy for her to deal with this right now.  
" We don't need much time to set this up, Usagi-chan,"   
Haruka said. " Once everyone decides, we can work out the   
details then. We're going to go and take a walk for a little   
while right now and think about a few things."   
" Thank you, Usagi-chan," Michiru added, and stood   
up to leave. " I know it wasn't easy for you to bring   
this up."   
" No, thank you. I'm still not very good at this   
leader stuff," she tearfully replied.   
" You're doing fine, Usagi-chan," Haruka told her   
and affectionately patted an odango on the way out. " You   
know enough to ask for help."  
" She's right, you know," he said as he took the   
seat the Michiru had just vacated and put his arms around   
her. The blonde leaned against him and let the tears come,   
not feeling one bit like the leader they said she was.  
  
************************************************  
  
The flower shop near the train station wasn't   
open yet, but she was able to convince the owner behind   
the counter to make an exception for her. He was going   
to open in a little while anyway, he told her with a   
smile after she explained what she needed it for.   
The morning sunlight and the sounds of the beginning   
of the day warmed her heart and made her feel better. She   
always liked the dawn, even when she was a child. She   
used to wake up right before sunrise just to listen to   
the birds begin to sing and watch the sunrise.   
At the gates, she set down the wooden bucket and   
nervously straightened out the dress she wore. It was   
nothing fancy, but it was more feminine than the clothes   
she usually wore. Her hair was out of place as well, but   
the slight breeze wouldn't leave it alone and she had   
promised herself not to put it up into a ponytail until   
after this was over.   
She took a deep breath and walked through the   
gates of the cemetery. Her feet automatically knew the   
path to follow, and she let them take her to the plain,   
simple headstone.   
All she had to bury was the certificate from the   
government that told her that her parents were dead and   
one of her precious photographs of them. The plane had   
burst into flames upon crashing right after take-off,   
and no bodies were recovered. She was bounced around   
from orphanage to orphanage by the time she actually   
got the certificate, and it wasn't until she was on   
her own that she was able to get the headstone.   
This was before she had met the others, and the   
simple stone in the distant cemetery was all she could   
afford. Still, it gave her a place to think of them at. Her   
relatives wouldn't let her go to the family shrines.   
After a brief prayer, she knelt down and began to   
trim back some of the grass and clean the stone itself. The   
cemetery staff did a good job, but this was something she   
wanted to help out with. When that was done, she set out   
and neatly arranged the bouquet in a simple vase she'd   
made in one of her art classes.  
Next, she set out a matching cup filled with a little   
sake, and followed that with a plate with some of the pork   
buns that she had made that morning. They were always a   
favorite of her parents. Finally, she lit a bundle of   
incense before kneeling once again and clasping her hands.   
" I still miss both of you," she began. " Mother,   
we should be up right now making breakfast while Dad gets   
ready to go to work. I still cry some nights because it   
hurts so bad. My friends help me out, though, whenever   
it gets too much for me to handle alone.   
" I'm doing better in school. My grades are good   
enough to get by on, and I should be able to make it   
into a good college if I do good on the entrance exams,   
Dad. You used to enjoy helping me to do my homework   
after school was over.   
" Mom, you'd be happy to know that I've finally   
been dating someone other than Shinozaki. We've been   
friends for a long time, and still are, but we've never   
been anything other than friends to each other. Hiro, the   
boy I mentioned before, seems to be nice, and I think he   
likes me.   
" I don't know... I don't think that I'll ever know   
about how it may turn out," she said, pausing to take a   
few breaths. " You never knew anything about my other   
life, or if you did you never told me. I'm going to have   
to go away for a while, it seems. My friends will need me,   
and I can't let them down. Not now, not with who we're up   
against.  
" Makoto Kino," she managed to sob. " She... your   
daughter won't be coming back from this one. I'll never   
forget you, though. My memories of you are as dear to me   
as anything else from my past life, and I don't think   
that you'd want me to let my friends down. You raised   
me to stand up for what I believed in, and they're my   
family now.  
" I'm still a little confused by the specifics,   
but the important part is that I'll never forget you. I   
won't stop thinking about you no matter what happens to   
us. You will never be forgotten.  
" I'll bring by some of my friends so you can meet   
them after we're done," she added. " They'll remember you,   
too, and I'll tell them what wonderful parents you were   
to me, even though we didn't get to spend as much time   
together as we should have. Haruka even said that she   
wanted to thank you for raising me right, as she put it,   
although I think that she's as nervous as we are and just   
doesn't want to show it. You'd like her, I think. She's   
not an easy one to get close to, but she'll do anything   
for you once she considers you her friend."   
She stood and bowed deeply to the headstone. " I have   
to be going now, I'm afraid. It's a long train trip back   
to Tokyo proper, and if I don't leave now I might be late.   
I love you, Mother and Father, and I hope that I make you   
proud."  
Makoto knelt to light another stick of incense and   
bowed again before turning and making her way back   
towards the train station and home.  
  
************************************************   
  
" If you'd look again, I'm sure that you would   
find me on the list," she pleaded with the man at the   
front desk. " Miss Kaioh told me that she was going to   
put me on her guest list months ago."   
" I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't see your name   
anywhere in her records," the old man replied, trying   
his best to be polite. This was an exclusive club, after   
all, and they had a problem with people trying to force   
their way in. " Is there any other name it might be under   
instead of... "   
" Mizuno," she repeated, feeling a little   
irritated. " Ami Mizuno."   
" Mizuno," he said, and suddenly grew thoughtful   
before hitting several keys on the keyboard. The monitor   
beeped once.   
" Forgive me, Miss Mizuno," he suddenly said, rising   
from his chair and deeply bowing to her. " You have my   
sincere apologies. I was looking for you on the guest   
lists, and it turns out you are actually a full member   
of the club."   
" A member?" she asked, confused. " I'm not-"   
" But you are," he smiled at her, opened a drawer   
in the desk, looked through an accordion file and took   
out a small plastic badge with a picture of her on it. He   
handed it to her and bowed again. " Please go through that   
door to your right and across the gardens. One of our staff   
will meet you there and can help you find Miss Kaioh."   
The girl with blue hair followed his instructions   
despite her surprise and walked across the lush garden. She   
knew the place, since she had been there once with Michiru,   
and before that, once with her...  
" Stop it," she told herself. To take her mind off   
her problems she looked around her. This sprawling country   
club was one of the most difficult to get into in all of   
Tokyo, and one of the most expensive. Land was always at a   
premium, even here in the suburbs, and the cost of just a   
golfing membership was over twenty million yen once you   
got through a waiting list that was at least seven years   
and knew the right people. She had heard some of the   
doctors at the hospital discussing it once.   
" Miss Mizuno?" a young lady in a white blazer with   
the club's crest on it asked her as she emerged from the   
garden. At her nod, she went on. " Miss Kaioh is currently   
riding right now. She just left about a half-hour ago, so   
it may be a little while until she comes back. Would you   
like to wait in the lounge and have breakfast, or could   
we get a horse for you so you can join her?"  
" The horse," she surprised herself with her response   
until the practical part of her mind caught up with the   
rest. The only time she rode a horse had been when she   
was here with Michiru. " I don't have the right clothes   
for it, I'm afraid. I guess it will have to be breakfast."  
" That's all right," she smiled, and looked far more   
her age when she did so." We have a full selection of   
riding outfits available for our members, and I'm sure   
that we'll be able to find one for you. Your file says   
we're to set you up for a full assortment of equestrian   
equipment, and the shop is right over there. Would you   
please come with me?"   
Twenty minutes later Ami found herself seated atop   
a slightly eager mare that the stable hand said was a good   
choice for her. She wore a set of long, knee-length boots,   
beige riding pants and a white blouse. It had been a   
little warm that morning for the jacket that normally   
went over the blouse.   
Following the groom's instructions, she set out at   
an easy pace along the trail he told her would take her   
to the area Michiru had told the staff she would be at. It   
took her a little over a half hour to reach the equestrian   
center, and only a few minutes more to find Michiru. As   
usual, she merely looked for the center of attention. The   
tactic had never failed her yet.  
" Ami-chan!" the woman called out to her, waving to   
her. She jumped up into her saddle as easily as someone   
else might have gotten onto a bicycle and rode over to   
meet her. " Good morning!"   
" Good morning," she politely responded, and then   
grew a little embarrassed. " All I wanted to do was to   
talk to you."   
" You didn't have to ride all the way out here, you   
know," Michiru laughed. " If you hadn't been so unfailingly   
polite and told them that it was an emergency they would   
have contacted me at once.  
" Let's ride a little, shall we? Khalid needs a bit   
to warm down properly, and that enthusiast you're on can   
use the exercise."   
" Michiru-san," Ami protested once they were down   
the trail and out of earshot of the other riders. " Why   
did you do this? It costs-"   
" It costs a lot, yes. What did I tell you that one   
time that we were here?"   
" You said to come back if I wanted to," Ami quoted   
her words. " I thought that you were going to put me onto   
your guest list, and then there are always restrictions on   
how many guests you can invite each year. I didn't want to   
impose on your generosity towards me. Isn't a membership   
going a little too far?"  
" Not if you saw the look on your face that day," the   
woman laughed. " That smile alone was worth twenty million   
yen. You took to horses like I did."  
" I'm sorry?"   
" Poseidon created horses from the sea. I've always   
loved riding, and I even compete in a few of the   
tournaments they host here each year. You seemed to   
have the same reaction to them that I did when we were   
here, which wasn't too surprising given the similarity   
of our powers."   
" Don't you use the Roman name?" Ami asked,   
slightly curious.  
" No," she replied and pulled over to dismount   
near a bench overlooking the golf course about two   
hundred meters away. She motioned for Ami to do the   
same. " I prefer the Greek names. It seems almost...   
sacrilegious the other way."   
" Michiru-san, that has to be the first time I   
think that I've ever heard you at a loss for words in   
my entire lifetime," Ami nearly giggled. They tied up   
their horses at a post and sat down together.   
" What's bothering you, Ami-chan?"   
" The decision," she started, looking down at   
the grass at her feet. " I thought that making it would   
be more difficult. I feel bad that it's all so simple   
in my mind."   
The taller woman was silent for a few minutes,   
and then reached out to gently run a finger over the   
bruise on the girl's cheek. " Are you sure that is the   
only reason you came here today? I'd be glad to help   
you, Ami-chan, but you have to let me know what is   
bothering you."   
" That's part of it," she admitted and began to   
speak in a flat, tightly controlled voice. " About two   
years, my mom started drinking. It wasn't much at first,   
only a drink or two, but she never used to do it except   
at parties or if she was dining out. This was at home,   
though.   
" I kept an eye on her, and found that it was   
because of her work. She still works in the emergency   
ward, and she never liked losing a patient. I guess   
maybe she was blaming herself whenever she did lose   
one, or there was a tough time at the hospital. It   
slowly became more frequent, but I thought that she   
knew what she was doing.   
" She's a doctor, after all. She's supposed to   
know what it can do to you. Last Sunday, I went right   
home after we heard about the accident in the park. I   
threw away all her sake before I went to the hospital. She   
hit me when she found out."   
"Ami-chan!" Michiru cried out and immediately put   
an arm around her. " I'm so sorry, Ami-chan."   
" That's not the worst part, though," Ami went on,   
her voice becoming bitter. " I went home last night for   
the first time since then. She was gone. Her note said   
that she checked herself into a private alcohol   
rehabilitation clinic and doesn't want me to see her   
until she gets out. I don't even know which one. I can't   
find her.  
" The last time we will have seen each other," Ami   
said as the tears finally began to roll down her   
face, " is when she hit me, Michiru-san. It isn't fair."   
The woman with the turquoise hair could only sit   
and console her. This was truly one of those time when   
words failed her. She couldn't think of anything to   
say to her, and all she really could do is hold Ami   
while she silently cried.  
  
************************************************  
  
He couldn't help but feel guilty as he parked and   
made his way to the gate. This place should have been   
familiar to him, but it held no special meanings to him,   
no matter how hard he tried. You can't learn to cherish   
something that you can't remember, he told himself with   
a sigh.   
After a brief stop at the shop on the premises to   
purchase a stick of incense, he walked along one of the   
paths, paying close attention to markers that told him   
the correct way to go. It was right past a tall pine tree   
that he did remember, however. The simple, gray,   
western-style headstone was engraved with one word.  
CHIBA.   
He still felt nothing.  
Well, not quite nothing. He did regret not feeling   
anything at all. That was all, though. Their faces were   
only part of his memories due to the photographs. He   
couldn't recall a loving embrace, or a sense of belonging.   
Everything started with waking up in the hospital.  
The nurses all called him a brave boy for not   
crying at the news. He had thought that something was   
wrong with him at first. He knew that he was supposed   
to be sad if his parents were dead. It wasn't until a   
few days later that he was able to cry, and that was   
only because he had just found out that Fiore was going   
to leave.   
Amid that pain was one of his fondest memories,   
though. Someone had heard him crying and tried her best   
to make him happy, or at least as much as she could do. He   
only found out years later during the fight with Fiore that   
the little girl who gave him a rose from the bouquet for   
her mother was his Usako. If he had only known, he used   
to jokingly tell her, he would have grabbed her and never   
let her go.  
That would have given him something to belong to; to   
give him hope as he grew up in the orphanage. He had   
sustained a head injury in the car accident, and that   
kept prospective parents from ever seriously considering   
him. His inheritance let him get out on his own and go   
to school on his own. There were no disputes involved in   
it, and no other relatives had come forward or had been   
mentioned in it.   
" Good morning," he said, not really quite sure of   
what to say to them. He did light the incense and placed   
it in front of the headstone, right by the small plaque   
that had their names and dates of birth and death.   
" I haven't been here as often as I should have, I   
guess," he apologized. " I'm sorry for not being more   
attentive to that fact. You gave me life and brought me   
into this world, and you cared for and provided for me. I   
wanted to thank you for that, at least.   
" It's hard for me to think of you. I still don't   
have any memories of you except for seeing your pictures   
and reading your letters. I don't know what kind of life   
you lead. I only remember the photo albums that I looked   
at afterwards. I wish I did remember more, and I'm sorry   
that we never got the chance to know one another.  
" I hope that you were happy together in the time   
that you had in this world. The woman who will soon be   
my mother-in-law, or at least she'll be the one at one   
step removed, did some strange things in the distant past,   
and I hope that bringing me into the world wasn't the only   
thing that you were here for."  
He blushed slightly and sat down on the grass, and   
arranged himself so that he was in a comfortable position. He   
would be here a little while. " I've met someone here that   
I'm going to marry someday, and I hope that you two were as   
happy together as we have been so far. I wanted to tell you   
about her, and how important she has become to me so you   
would know that I'm not so alone anymore.   
" Her name is Usagi Tsukino," he began, and settled   
down to tell them everything about the one he loved.   
  
************************************************  
  
" So everyone is agreed, then? If you do, it's   
the explosion?"   
" As long as there is no way to reverse this later   
on, Usagi-san," Hotaru told her over the communicator   
from where she was standing watch with the other two   
Outers.   
" Mamo-chan says there isn't," she softly replied,   
and cut off the other girl before she could continue   
speaking. " I still don't want to know what you decided   
to do yet, Hotaru-chan. It can wait for later."  
" Still no sign of anything," Rei's voice came   
through over the tiny speaker. She was downstairs on the   
ground level of the mall along with Ami and Makoto. They'd   
already been there for a half hour before the earliest of   
any of Flare's attacks so far, but it been quiet so far.   
Since the redhead seemed to attack near them, they'd   
chosen this place as the battlefield. The mall boasted   
three stories of shopping, but also had outside entrances   
on the side facing the park they intended to drive her   
into. This gave them a vantage point to watch from, which   
was what she was currently doing from her position by   
the bookstore on the third level.   
They also hoped that it would cut down on any   
possible casualties. It was bad enough fighting Sailor   
Sun's partner, but they also had the burden of not   
letting her know that they had a plan in mind for the   
next day. They had earlier decided that tomorrow   
morning was when they would tell each other what they   
would do.   
Friday morning would be it, she reminded herself,   
and wished once again that Mamo-chan was with her. He   
was back working in the library, however. He still had   
work to do, he told her, and was only a moment away if   
he was actually needed. This was the first time that he   
had decided to rely on his abilities like this, but she   
still had faith in him.   
No, right now she wanted a hug from him. It was that   
simple. Chibi-usa, the cats and Minako-chan were there as   
well, and she was beginning to feel bored. All around her,   
everyone was having fun, and despite knowing the importance   
of what she was doing, she wanted to be able to do the same.   
She turned and almost hungrily eyed the shelves of   
manga in the bookstore. Maybe after this was done, she'd   
pick up a few. Rei hadn't been getting as many as she   
used to, and she was behind in a few stories she was   
following.   
A grin came to her as she spotted a familiar face   
inside, and she darted over to tap on the window and get   
his attention.   
" Shino!" she called out, waving and motioning for   
him to join her before going back to her vantage point. She   
shouldn't have been too surprised since she knew he   
frequented this store on his way home from school.  
" Hi, Usagi-chan," he said to her a few minutes later   
after he was done inside and paid for his selections. " How   
has your vacation been so far?"   
" Pretty good," she admitted and was surprised at   
how easily the lies were coming to her. She took a quick   
look over the crowd and the park before turning back and   
taking a closer look at him. The jeans and T-shirt he wore   
was a distinct change from the school uniform she usually   
saw him wearing.   
" You look really different for some reason," she   
told him. " Maybe it's just the clothes."   
" It probably is the clothes," he laughed. " We've   
only really seen each other in our uniforms before, unless   
you count one school dance."   
He turned to look out over the mall as well, and was   
almost nervous when he spoke next. "And, if I didn't know   
that you were so close with Mamoru-san, I'd say that you   
looked very nice today, Usagi-chan."   
She blushed slightly, but enjoyed the   
compliment. " Thank you, Shino. That's very nice   
of you to say that." On the inside, though, she was   
much more embarrassed. Part of the reason he must have   
said it was her clothes. It was amazing what wearing her   
Senshi fuku did to her perceptions of the proper length   
for a skirt.  
The explosion in the middle of the park caught   
her completely off-guard.  
" What?" she stammered, and looked to her left. The   
stairway was only a few meters away and would give her the   
opportunity to slip away and change.   
" Gazelles," he said, making her turn back to him   
and look to where he was pointing. Neptune and Uranus were   
already on their way to the park, easily bounding over any   
obstacles in their path. " They're like gazelles."  
" Shino, what's happening?" she gasped, suddenly   
feeling very confused. He was now wearing his school   
uniform. Instinctively, she reached towards her pocket   
and her broach.   
" None of that, I'm afraid," a voice whispered from   
behind her as her wrists were grabbed. She was able to   
turn around enough to make out the black tunic that Flare   
was wearing.   
" I'm... I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," Shino managed to   
stammer and trembled a moment before his eyes melted into   
a warm golden color. He reached up, took off and tossed   
the glasses aside, and was suddenly someone else.  
" Shino!" she cried out as she realized who it   
was. This must have been what Naru described to her about   
how she had been able to determine that she was actually   
Sailor Moon. Now that she had seen the transformation   
actually happen, she couldn't believe that she hadn't   
noticed it before.  
" My apologies, Serenity," Sailor Sun told   
her. " This won't be settled by fighting, so please   
don't struggle, and I'll have Flare release you. Do   
you agree?"   
She nodded since she really didn't have a   
choice. Flare had her arms immobilized, and she wasn't   
able to move them.   
" Why don't you go entertain the others, Flare?" Sun   
suggested. " I can keep an eye on her here."   
There was a faint, musical chiming noise and she   
was suddenly free. There was no sign of the woman,   
although a series of explosions started in the park.   
" I don't know why you persist in this," he   
commented, turning to look out towards the park. The   
smarter people were running away from it, although a   
few ambitious ones were running towards it armed with   
cameras and video recorders. Even from this distance they   
could hear the faint sounds of a harp that she recognized   
as Mercury using her newest attack.   
" That's because both she and I are holding to a   
promise we made each other in both of our lives," a man's   
voice called out from behind her. " We swore to protect   
the people of this planet together."   
" And nothing you can do will stop us," she added,   
her voice suddenly confident as she walked over to join   
Mamoru where he stood leaning against the wall a few   
meters away. He was wearing a pair of light gray slacks   
and a plain white shirt, and a red rose that glowed in   
an eerie aquamarine blue was held in his right hand.  
" Endymion," he greeted the newcomer with a slight   
nod. " I'm sure that you see things more clearly than   
her. You must realize that you don't have any choice of   
winning against me. Why prolong the inevitable suffering? No   
matter what you do, it won't mean anything in the long run."   
" What gives you the right to hurt all these people   
who have never done anything to you?" she cried out,   
answering his question with one of her own.   
" I do it because I can," he replied. " It-"   
" Power means nothing!" she yelled, cutting him   
off. " Just because you can destroy them doesn't give you   
the right to. What about their right to live their own   
life and to make their own decisions?   
" If you have to kill someone," she pleaded. " Kill   
me instead. Just let them live."   
" That sounds so like your precious little   
kingdom," he laughed. " It only lasted what... a   
millennia? One and a half, perhaps? I'm not going to   
give you a noble death here, Serenity.   
" It would be far too gentle of me to take you   
like that," he declared. " You are going to watch your   
planet die, or you are going to watch your friends and   
your dreams die. There is no other choice here. The   
cavalry will not come riding in over the hill to make   
a last minute rescue. You only have two choices. Which   
will it be, Serenity? Your friends or your planet?"   
" Why them?" she asked him one question that they   
had brought up earlier, and she still didn't like the   
answer.  
" Why not them?" he questioned. " I created this   
system. The planets are here because of me. You are here   
because of me. You all turned against me, and now you're   
going to pay the price."   
" Speaking of prices," a woman's voice rang out from   
above them. " Get away from them or I'll give you a souvenir   
to take with you to Hell!"   
" Saturn!" Usagi cried out and looked up. What she   
saw scared her so badly she started to shake. The Senshi   
of the ringed planet was perched on the edge of the roof   
and looking down at them. Dozens of translucent yellow,   
green and purple ribbons fluttered and swirled around her   
as she pointed the Silence Glaive directly at Sailor Sun.  
" Get her out of here," the Senshi growled, not   
taking her eyes off of her intended target.   
" Please, Saturn, don't do anything foolish," Sun   
said, calmly backing a few paces away from the couple. If   
he was feeling any fear, his face gave no sign of it. " This   
won't be settled by fighting, and you can't hurt me, not   
even with that attack."   
" I think otherwise," she countered, calling his   
bluff. " The stakes are your life, and it's time to put   
your cards on the table."   
" Well, then," he chuckled. " I'll fold this hand. The   
game isn't over yet, however, and the stakes go up   
considerably tomorrow. We'll see how well you play the   
cards that you've been dealt."   
He looked up and nodded at the young lady standing   
above them, sketched a short bow to the couple and faded   
away.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she cried out, sending a   
barrage of bolts of blue energy against the woman in   
black. Flare blocked most of them with her sword when   
Jupiter and Mars landed near Mercury but spread out over   
a ninety degree arc.   
" Burning Mantra!"   
" Jupiter Oak Evolution!"   
The two Inner Senshi fired as one, hoping to   
overwhelm her defense with the sheer number of shots   
these attacks fired. They had to hold the line until   
Neptune and Uranus could get back into the fight.   
It had worked before the other day, but this time   
Flare stood her ground, flung out her hand and a   
hemispherical barrier formed around her, blocking their   
attacks.   
" You won't catch me like that twice!" she yelled,   
dropped the barrier and fired a blast of light at the one   
in red. Mars dodged the attack she had been expecting and   
launched a 'Fire Soul' at her without even announcing the   
attack. She, like Jupiter and Mercury, had gotten to the   
point where they could often make some of their attacks   
work like that, but it was still easier and more reliable   
to call them out.   
She was rewarded by it singing a lock of the   
redhead's hair, although she was irritated at herself   
for partially holding back. She'd shifted her aim just   
before firing.   
" Bitch!" Flare shrieked and rolled to her right. She   
came up on one knee, let her sword dissolve and brought   
both hands together.   
" Flame Stream Prominence!" she yelled out, flinging   
a wide swath of energy that knocked down all three of them   
and tore through the foliage until it crashed against the   
outside of the mall, shattering windows and starting   
several small fires. As the three girls fell, Flare was   
on her feet and jumped in the air, her sword forming in   
her hand. She plummeted down towards Mars, screaming out   
her name.   
  
************************************************  
  
" Did I ever tell you how much I hate doing this?" she   
asked her partner, taking advantage of their hiding to catch   
her breath.  
" Not in the last twelve seconds," Neptune replied,   
smiling. " Haven't you forgotten that this was your idea   
in the first place?"   
" No," Uranus grimaced. " It is my idea, and I still   
hate it. But, I do have to admit that they're doing good-"   
" And we're not?" she sweetly asked with a mischievous   
twinkle in her eyes, and nudged the other woman in the ribs.   
" Hush," she replied, peeking around a tree   
trunk. " We have to fool her if we're going to have   
a chance to beat her. She's getting sloppy and overconfident   
in her attacks, and I want her to be doing the same thing   
tomorrow. We're executing well and hitting her right now,   
which is all I ask for."  
" As long as we get more powerful," Neptune replied,   
joining her in watching the ongoing fight. She winced as   
she saw the barrier go up and the exchange that followed.  
" She's ticked now," the blonde decided. " Get   
ready, and remember to take it easy on her."   
" I know," she softly laughed, taking a violin   
from her dimensional pocket that seemed to be made of   
glass. " I helped you come up with the plan, remember?"  
She put the violin under her chin and the bow to   
the strings. A seething waterspout bore her high up into   
the air at her mental command as her target leapt to the   
attack. Flare was so intent upon getting Mars that she   
wasn't looking around.   
Haruka's strategy was wonderfully devious, and   
this would reinforce the pattern that they were letting   
develop. It was going to seem that despite all their   
traps and teamwork, nothing they did could actually hurt   
Flare. Using these attacks would make her think that they   
had gone all out this time. As long as they ended up   
powerful enough to actually hurt the woman, it would be   
perfect.   
" Submarine Violin Tide!" she called out, beginning   
to play and focusing her intent upon the woman in black. A   
wall of sound and the water beneath her feet lashed out   
and caught Flare in mid-air, flinging her well to the side   
of the fallen Senshi that was her target.   
Uranus had begun to run forward as soon as Flare   
committed to the leaping attack, recalling from years of   
training how vulnerable those attacks could make you. She   
had a good idea of where Flare was going to land after   
Neptune hit her, and made for that spot.  
Neptune and Flare hit the ground at the same time,   
although the Senshi's controlled landing was far more   
graceful. Flare landed heavily but rolled to her feet,   
and was just able to avoid a spinning kick from Uranus   
by backing away and up against a tree.  
" Space Turbulence!" the blonde shouted out while   
continuing her spin, directing the attack at her target   
from point blank range. Flare was barely able to avoid   
the attack that smashed the tree into kindling but not   
the second kick that clipped her shoulder and knocked her   
to the ground.  
" That is it!" she raged, forcing herself to her   
feet, but Sailor Sun appeared behind her and laid a hand   
on her shoulder like he had previously. Both of them   
faded away again, but not before Flare spat at them in   
disgust.   
" Beautiful, everyone," Uranus told them, shaking   
her head in admiration. False hopes indeed, she laughed   
inside, recalling how angry she was to hear what Hotaru   
had told her of Flare's words in the previous fight.   
" Could we have done it any better?" Mercury asked and   
got a high five in return from the blonde and didn't even mind   
having to jump for it. They left to go meet up with the others   
after getting a call that told them what happened back by the   
mall.   
Inside one of those businesses that faced the park, a   
young barmaid with shoulder length, red hair blistered the   
air with a selection of curses that should have been far   
beyond someone of her years. She shoved aside the remains   
of a wicker table and three chairs that had been outside   
from on top of her and pulled herself to her feet.   
The barkeep himself had already set out a pair of   
shotglasses as his first action upon standing. The young   
lady carefully poured from a bottle of bourbon that somehow   
wasn't shattered along with the windows, and they raised   
their glasses in a toast to the first day of business at   
the new location of the Cha Cha Maru.   
  
************************************************  
  
The sensation of a set of wards coming apart brought   
him to his feet. It was a stretching, tearing sensation   
that was unlike anything else. They weren't his own   
personal ones around his quarters, but they were inside   
the outer defenses.   
" Shit!" he growled and took a deep breath to center   
himself. He set up a ward over the node beneath the   
complex that would keep anyone else from tapping into   
it before calling upon the power within it for his own   
uses. The summoning room on the third level, he realized,   
taking a closer look at the situation through his mage-sight.   
Something is on the loose, he gathered. He checked   
his own defenses and transported himself to that level   
via the network of gate crystals he had for use his own   
usage. Probably an imp had taken advantage of a mistake   
made by a student and broke free.   
The first thing he saw when he emerged into the   
hallway was three bodies. One was an apprentice, and the   
other two were beginning students. Not an imp, then. The   
door to the actual summoning room was still open and give   
him a feeling of dread.   
" Hello, Matthew," Joshua greeted him as he stepped   
into the room. Or, more precisely, what used to be Joshua.   
The demon still stood inside the remains of the   
protective circle laid out on the floor. Normally, it   
kept a summoned demon from leaving the circle.   
" Joshua mentioned you," Matthew commented and   
readied a spell of banishment that would force it from   
this plane. " The Death Phantom, a spirit of great   
destructive power is what he said he had encountered   
on the astral."  
" I have no quarrel with you, Matthew," the thing   
said. " The fool who summoned me paid the price for his   
stupidity by summoning something he couldn't control in   
order to supplant you, and the others attacked me. I merely   
defended myself from them, but I was a little carried   
away. It has been millennia since I last fed. My not   
leaving the circle is a demonstration of my lack of malice   
towards you."  
" Well, we seem to have a bit of an impasse," the   
man replied. " You can't stay in the circle forever, and   
I can't have a demon wandering around indiscriminately   
eating the souls of my people. What can you do for me   
that will prevent me from sending you back from where   
you came?"   
" This world is known to my kind, Matthew. Metallia   
was only the first to have heard the siren call of the   
power of the Silver Crystal and made her way here on her   
own. From what I read in Joshua's mind, you are planning   
towards taking control of this world for a long time. Do   
you really like the notion of needing to deal with   
several more like her?"   
The man chuckled and absent-mindedly straightened   
the cuff of one of his shirt sleeves. " No, I don't care   
much for that idea. What is your goal here? You would   
have left after having lunch if you didn't have some   
ulterior motive."   
" The Silver Crystal, of course," the being   
smiled. " Your world is too cold for my kind to live   
comfortably, Matthew. Your whole universe is not kind   
to us, I'm afraid, and is not worth the effort in taking   
over. I have no interests in it except for that crystal."   
" That trinket is almost more a bother than it is   
worth," Matthew declared. " It's essence will not willingly   
aid someone that is not of it's own choosing. Jason forgot   
that fact and paid the price.  
" I take it that you are offering your help in   
conquering this world and keeping out any of your brethren   
in exchange for my help in getting you the crystal?"  
" Something like that," it smiled. " I would be a   
valuable advisor to you, after all."   
" If I do agree, I'll need your real name,   
though. Yours is Death Phantom as much as my real name   
is Matthew."   
" I can agree to that," it decided and drew shadows   
around it to create a hooded, black cloak that settled on   
it's shoulders. " You can only use it to banish me from   
here since I am not of this world. I'll need a disguise   
as well, however. Any who know of me as Death Phantom   
will be that much closer to knowing my true identity and   
gaining power over me. I'd like to keep it that you are   
the only one.  
" Judging from our own enemies here, this would be   
a good start," the being said as a black crescent moon   
that opened downwards appeared on it's forehead. " And   
from your name for your organization, and my new role,   
why don't you call me the Wise Man?"  
The man laughed, reminded of one of the old   
definitions of the word. He reformed and corrected   
the protective circle and wards around the room with   
a wave of his hand, and magically fetched a heart   
crystal to his hand.   
" I think that we have a tentative agreement,   
then. I need some time to think it over, however, and   
that will ensure that you can't stray. I'm sure that   
you are still a bit hungry, so please amuse yourself   
with this for a few hours."  
He tossed the crystal into the center of the   
room and left to think about the future and how this   
would affect his plans for controlling it.  
  
************************************************  
  
" I'm glad you're still outside," she said to   
the priestess as she sat down with her on the top step.   
The girl with black hair brandished her broom for   
a moment and smiled, although it was hardly visible in   
the dim light at dusk. " This is the one battle that I   
can never win, Usagi-chan. The leaves are invincible."   
They both giggled at that and the blonde handed over   
the liter and a half bottle of Poccari. The other girl   
took a big swallow of the sports drink and handed it   
back.   
" Thank you," Rei said and carefully looked at   
her friend. From the slightly dejected look on her face,   
she knew that this wasn't entirely a social call. " I'll   
be glad to listen to you in whatever capacity you need   
me, Usagi. Just let me know what clothes I should be   
wearing."  
Usagi simply put an arm around her, lowered her   
head onto Rei's shoulder and sighed. " I'm going through   
what you had to on Monday when you found out you were   
going to be fighting one of your friends."   
" I'm sorry you have to do this, too. I never knew   
him real well since I'm not at the same school as you   
are, but he seemed like a nice boy."   
" He was," Usagi confirmed. She looked away at   
the last portion of the setting sun for a moment. "I   
was getting a little lonely when I first met Shino. Mamo-chan   
had started working for Michiru-san and Haruka-san and   
was often busy with that and his classes.   
" Maybe it was because Shino was a lot like   
Mamo-chan that I tried to be friends with him. They're   
both orphans, and he didn't have many friends, just   
like Mamo-chan. He was nice and polite, and even funny   
if he got close enough to you to relax and let it show.   
" I think that Hotaru was right, though," she   
admitted. " It was probably all part of Sun's plan in   
the first place. He knows us, Rei-chan, and he's been   
watching us for almost two years. It makes my skin   
crawl every time I think of all the times we used to   
talk or help each other out at school."   
" I know what it is like, Usagi-chan," Rei   
began. " You know that I never had many friends at   
Thomas Aquinas school, right?"   
She took another sip of the drink and held the   
bottle out, waiting for Usagi to do the same before   
continuing. " Well, Hamaji was one of the girls that   
was at least nice to me. When I had a bead on her   
during the fight on Tuesday, I couldn't fire at her.  
" To be honest, I think that because it wasn't   
a real fight like you said was part of it. We won't   
be playing tomorrow, and I think I can do it if I need   
to. I've had a couple of days to accept it that you won't   
have."  
Usagi took another sip when she heard someone   
sigh. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't Rei and   
whirled around.   
" Please, just pretend that I'm not here," Haruka   
calmly said from a few meters away where she sat, leaning   
back against one of the pillars holding up the arch over   
their heads. " When you're done with all this worrying,   
we need to have a little chat. There's nothing that is   
as important, really, so just go on like you were."   
" Haruka-san, what are you doing here?" the other   
blonde asked. The sarcasm in the older girl's voice wasn't   
too hard to miss.   
" I kind of knew that this conversation was going   
to happen at some point today, and I need to clear   
something up right now before it goes any further," she   
replied.  
" You only get sarcastic like that when you're mad,   
Haruka-san. What is it?" the priestess asked her as they   
turned to face the newcomer.   
" You do understand that nobody is giving up   
tomorrow, odango-chan?" she stated while holding up one   
hand to stop Usagi from answering. " I'm not making fun   
of you, Usagi-chan. We are not going to give up to them,   
and they are not going to give up and let us win. What   
are you going to do if it comes down to you and him   
fighting it out?"   
" I... " she stammered.  
" Bang, you're dead," Haruka barked, snapping her   
fingers and pointing one hand at Usagi like it was a   
gun. " Game over, Usagi-chan, just like he said. This   
is a fight. You may not get a second chance tomorrow."   
" But-"   
" No buts, Usagi-chan," Rei cut her off as gently   
as she could. " Haruka-san is right about this, I'm   
afraid."   
" Usagi," Haruka began and took a breath in order   
to let her compose her thoughts for a moment. " We were   
alone most the time on the outer planets in the   
past. There were never many people, and many more   
things that wanted to eat them. We didn't have the   
luxury of choosing during a fight. When the opportunity   
came, I willingly killed whoever I was fighting.   
" I didn't like the fact that it had to go to that   
point, but once it became an actual fight, I never had a   
problem with ending it. Michiru and Hotaru are like that   
as well. We'd rather that you never had to get to this   
point, Usagi-chan, but we're too worldly to think that   
it will never come down to this."   
She paused to take a drink from the bottle that Rei   
tossed to her. " I ask you again, Usagi-chan. You don't   
need to answer, but you do need to think about this. Either   
he kills you and everyone dies, or you kill him and   
everyone is saved. Maybe that will help you understand   
it better."   
" Haruka, I don't want to kill him," she sobbed   
and slumped forward. Both of them could see silvery trails   
of tears working down her face. The woman scooted over and   
lifted her face up so that they were looking at one another.   
" Usa, I don't want you to have to kill him either,"   
she huskily whispered. " I'd give anything to keep you from   
ever having to make that decision. We live in an ugly world,   
but you can see the beauty in it. I can't see the good   
things as well as you can, but I'll do everything I can   
to keep you from having to stoop down to our level."   
" We all will," Rei softly added.   
" The point is, though," the tall blonde went   
on. " The point is that it may come to that, and you   
can't ignore that possibility, Usagi-chan. You have to   
think about it. I don't want to do it, either. Shino was   
a good kid. I don't want to have to kill him.  
" If it comes down to it, however, I will. For me   
it is an easy decision. That's probably the biggest   
difference between the Senshi, Usagi-chan. Michiru,   
Hotaru and I had to be like that. Setsuna understood   
  
it as well.   
" We were fighting to protect both you and the   
Silver Millennium. There were only four of us, and that   
made us the way we are. We aren't better than the Inner   
Senshi, but we are colder than you are. Harder. To us,   
the means are justified by the ends.   
" Your mother made us promise to make you into the   
best queen that we could, Usagi-chan," she added after   
pausing to wipe away a tear on Usagi's face. " A crown   
is not an easy burden to bear, Princess. This hurts now,   
but you need to understand this in order to be strong   
enough to be like your mother."   
" It hurts to think that way," Usagi whispered, but   
her voice was stronger for her next words. " I know that   
I'm not much of a leader yet, but I've learned enough to   
know when to ask for your help. What do I have to do to   
make it through this?"   
The raven-haired girl caught the woman's attention,   
waggled a finger and pointed at herself before   
speaking. " Don't tell yourself that you can't kill   
him, Usagi. Remind yourself that you simply don't want   
to kill him. Do you understand the difference between   
the two and how you were confusing them when you said   
that you didn't want to a few moments ago?"   
" I think so," she said several minutes later. " I   
think that I understand it now."   
"That's good," the tall woman said and stood,   
pulling Usagi up with her as she did so. " I'll walk   
you home, Usagi-chan. Rei-chan needs the chance to spend   
some time in there tonight, and I have to get going as   
well."   
" She's right, Usagi-chan," Rei said and gave her   
friend a fierce hug. " It's almost time for dinner. We   
can talk more in the morning if you need to."  
" Thank you, Rei-chan," she responded, holding Rei   
tightly as well. The priestess ran to the shed in the   
back to put away her broom before going inside the shrine.  
Haruka nudged her in the right direction and they   
walked down the stairs and started towards her home.   
" Rei-chan didn't know him too well," the tall   
woman suddenly said as they turned a corner. " I didn't   
want to bring this up in front of her."   
" Excuse me?" she asked.  
" There's one other person you have to think about   
here, Usagi-chan," she explained, doing her best to keep   
her voice and words as gentle as possible. " I don't think   
that Shino-san would have liked what he's being made to   
do to you. Don't forget about him, either."  
  
************************************************   
  
She tentatively stepped through the doorway to the   
den and listened. The silence made her nervous for some   
reason. She usually didn't play music or listen to the   
television while she studied, and she was no stranger to   
the quiet. It is because your mother wasn't going to be   
coming home tonight, she told herself.   
Three hours running a search parameter through a few   
credit card companies that she hacked into had not yielded   
any results, nor had breaking into the computer records of   
every alcohol clinic that she could. No, this was one case   
where she was going to miserably fail.   
Her mother knew too many people that could be doing   
this. All she had to do was to tell one of her doctor   
friends that she wanted to keep the matter quiet and her   
mother would be admitted under an assumed name to keep   
everything quiet. She would probably have made arrangements   
to pay them at a later date, or in cash, so there was not   
a paper trail for her to follow.   
No, her mother was thorough, she realized. It was the   
same kind of precautions that she would have taken if she   
did not want to be found. Her mother was who she inherited   
her intelligence from, after all.   
She wandered around the condominium, looking carefully   
at each room. In part it was to try and remember everything,   
she told herself, and hated the fact that a part of her was   
trying to justify lying to the rest of her. No, what she   
was still trying to do was to find some kind of clue as to   
where her mother was. She had already used her computer   
and scanners to record images of everything in the house.  
The urge to kick and break something and to scream   
was put aside. There was no sense in involving the neighbors,   
after all. Instead, she went to her room and threw herself   
down onto the bed. After that, she grabbed one of her   
over-sized pillows, hugged it and cried for an hour. It   
helped a little bit. Afterwards, she was able to pack for   
the trip without beginning to tremble and shake. She had   
ran out of tears while stretched out on the bed.   
The clothes were the easiest part. She didn't have   
any real favorites that she couldn't bear to lose, so she   
simply packed a few outfits. The same thing went for most   
of her jewelry, although she did take a few things that had   
special meaning, like the sapphire ring that had belonged to   
her mother and was given to her when she was sixteen. It was   
too nice for her to wear all the time, she usually thought,   
but slipped it on now.   
After she was done and had closed the suitcase, she   
carried it out and placed it by the front door. This time,   
she walked through all the rooms just to look at them and   
remember what had happened there during these last four   
years. This had been their home for the longest of any of   
their other residences.   
Finally, she came to her mother's room and walked in. It   
seemed empty somehow, but she dismissed that thought. She   
opened the door to the walk-in closet and stepped in to   
look at some of the things her mother wore. The smell of   
the clothes, various perfumes and the potpourri even   
reminded her of her mother.  
At the back, safely tucked away into a box and   
wrapped in plastic was what she was looking for. It was   
on the top shelf, and she was barely able to reach it. She   
went back into the bedroom and set the box on the bed and   
carefully unwrapped it.  
It was her mother's wedding kimono. She had wanted   
her daughter to wear it when the time came for her own   
wedding, and now it looked like she would never have the   
chance. She carefully arranged it on the bed and scanned   
it with her computer so she would at least have the pattern.   
On a sudden impulse, she slipped out of her blouse   
and skirt and put on the kimono. She wasn't used to wearing   
such traditional clothing and almost didn't recognize herself   
in the mirror when she looked. It may not be the real one   
that I end up wearing, she told her while she scanned what   
she looked like while wearing it, but you'll still be with   
me in spirit at my wedding, Mother.  
That was assuming she ever could marry, she bitterly   
reminded herself. She had the sickening feeling that her   
duty as a Senshi might interfere with that as well.   
She carefully put the garment away and dressed in her   
regular clothes again. There was really only one more task   
for her to do. After getting paper and a pen, she sat at   
the kitchen table and began to write. The first message   
was simple enough. Directions and a phone number of where   
she was going to be for the weekend if her mother came back,   
or someone was looking for her, like the police eventually   
would be.  
The second one was far harder. She had spent some   
time talking with Michiru about this earlier and decided   
to heed her advice. It only took a few words to say, and   
was far more simple and elegant than pages of careful   
reasoning at saying what she felt and, more importantly   
to her conscience, what she would feel.   
  
  
Mother,  
  
I still love you. I always have and I always will.   
  
Ami  
  
  
************************************************  
  
They had been enthralled by her for almost an hour   
now. She had played them as easily and effortlessly as she   
did the violin. Grown men reached for handkerchiefs to wipe   
away tears when she wanted them to. She could make their   
wives yearn for the passions of their youth a moment later   
with the slightest flick of a wrist.   
The intensity of her performance rose as she started   
building towards her finale, startling many of the audience   
as they realized that they were in for something truly   
memorable. She wanted to smile whenever that look of   
understanding began to show on their faces. Showing them   
the beauty and the power of the music and the sheer   
delight it gave her to do so was far better than the   
applause later on.   
On cue, right after she had finished, they would   
surge to their feet and marvel at what she had given them.   
Their applause was the roar of the waves of the ocean,   
building and building as it began to crest. Roses flew   
out from them like sea spray.  
She bowed to them and it began to dwindle and recede   
like a wave returning to the ocean. It grew dark as well,   
but it wasn't the lights of the stage being dimmed. That   
was only in her memory as she looked over the seats of the   
amphitheater from her place on the darkened stage.   
Nobody was in the seats this time of night, of   
course. The symphony that performed here was not in season,   
either. They would start practicing in a few weeks, and she   
had to once again turn down the inevitable invitation to   
join them.   
Eleven hours. Maybe a few more, or maybe a few less,   
but it was still only eleven hours. She would no longer   
exist. No more fame, no more notoriety. People wouldn't   
stop and point her out anymore, whispering about who she   
was.   
" All those moments will be lost in time, like   
tears... in the rain," she whispered, quoting a movie. All   
the things that she had strove for throughout the years   
and expressed in her art would be gone in what was for   
her the worst way possible.  
She'd be a laughingstock if she tried to play the   
violin like she used to. Any of her new paintings would   
earn her the label of being a fraud. You're only imitating   
her, the people in the galleries would laugh. No originality.   
Plagiarism. It was an ugly word to her. She'd laugh   
at the absurdity of the idea of needing to copy someone else   
when she was able to see so many things in the world that   
could be made into art. Soon she would be guilty of being   
herself because nobody else would know the truth.   
She had been able to learn, with Haruka's help, to be   
able to understand and accept the need to be ready to give   
up her old life. That it was to protect her family was   
something she fully understood. For that reason, the pain   
could be endured. In time, it would go away, even though   
it tore at her heart right now.   
The doubts came rushing in and surrounded her,   
threatening to drag her down into despair. She didn't   
want to have to do this, but it seemed that there would   
not be any choice in the matter. It had to be done.   
Her decision seemed to help a little bit in easing   
her pain. She reached into her pocket and removed the   
violin and bow that she had used earlier in the day. It   
didn't look like a regular one that was made from wood,   
but it played just as well.   
Like it always was able to, the music drove away the   
pain. The road ahead would not be an easy one for any of   
them, but she would manage. She had said her good-byes to   
her parents in her heart almost five years ago. She would   
miss them dearly, but they knew that she had loved them.   
Her art would never truly be gone, she also knew. She   
was the source of it, she had come to understand. She could   
always change her way of using the medium itself to convey   
her message. There were a few new styles that she wanted   
to explore anyway, and this would be a good challenge to her.   
The same thing went to for her music. This would make   
her more skilled in the end when all was said and done. Perhaps   
in some ways this was a good thing, forcing her to reach and   
grow even more as an artist and a person.  
Beautiful music filled the night air as she began to   
play. The notes were sad, but there was a strength to them   
that could not be denied. What was to come would hurt   
terribly, she knew, but she would survive. The wave was   
going to crash down on her, but when the waters receded,   
she would still be there.   
She had her friends. She had her music, and she   
had Haruka. She would survive.   
  
************************************************   
  
She had previously taken the precaution of waxing   
the runners of the sliding door that led to his room in   
order to be able to do this tonight. Her grandfather was   
loudly snoring in the next room on the ground level, but   
she still wanted to be careful about unnecessary noise.   
" Yuu-chan?" she whispered, closing the door   
behind her.  
" Rei?" he groggily replied, forcing his way out   
of a sound sleep. " What's wrong?"  
" I couldn't sleep," she admitted and knelt next   
to him. He made to rise from the floor but she put a hand   
on his shoulder to stop him.   
" Want me to read you a story?" he asked, and she   
could see his smile even in the dim light coming through   
the small window as he sat up.   
" I just want a hug," she answered.   
" Shouldn't you be in the next room for that?" he   
stammered, suddenly a bit nervous and aware of the danger   
of their situation. Her grandfather was only a few meters   
away, after all.  
She leaned forward against him and put her arms   
around him. " I wanted one from you, silly."   
" Rei-chan," he whispered and returned the   
embrace. They stayed that way for several minutes   
until holding that position became too difficult.  
" Thank you, Yuuichiro," she told him. Impulsively,   
she quickly kissed him and scrambled to her feet. " For   
being my friend, and for putting up with me."   
While he still sat there in shock and surprise,   
she slipped out of the room and ran up the stairs so he   
couldn't see the tears that came to her face.  
  
************************************************   
Thankfully, the alarm codes hadn't been changed   
recently. It would have been embarrassing to be caught   
breaking into her own house, even if she hadn't been   
there for a while. Her parents were currently living there.  
Technically, they were house-sitting for her. In   
actuality, it was only a subterfuge on her part to get   
them to live here away from Tokyo. It made her feel better   
to have them out here away from the hustle and bustle of   
city life, even if it did mean that she saw them less.   
She'd been ready to do this for a while, and had   
already accepted that this part of her life was over. They   
were asleep upstairs, from what she could gather by   
listening to the silence that filled the house. Their   
cars were here, and no televisions or radios were   
playing. Aside from the gentle whirring of the   
refrigerator, nothing else was active.   
Her route went past the stairs leading to the   
second story and the bedrooms. She wasn't planning on   
stopping to talk to them. Instead, she walked to the far   
end of the house and the closest thing she had to a room   
here that was really hers. There was a bedroom reserved   
for her, naturally, but it was never used.   
No, this was the closest to a place that belonged   
to her. It held something that she valued. Lining one   
wall of the study was a long display case filled with   
pictures, newspaper clippings, and several trophies.   
These were hers like little else was. It had taken   
her long hours of hard work to learn the ropes on the   
track and put in her time until she was actually allowed   
to race. Her accomplishments there had nothing to do with   
her past life as a Senshi or any other such advantages.   
" Easy come, easy go," she grinned as she opened the   
case. She took the first one that she had earned and reached   
inside the cup to look at one memento of her past. Coiled   
inside was a long braid of sandy blonde hair.   
She smiled again at the memory of the look of shock   
on her mother's face as she got home the night of her first   
race with a drastically different hair style and the second   
place trophy. That was what she would miss, and not these   
baubles. She reached into her pocket and removed the second   
earring that was part of her new costume. It was put in with   
the braid and the trophy was placed back where it came from   
in the case. She had never liked the second earring, anyway.   
This was easy for her to give up. She always had the   
option of getting back into this later on, after all. A   
change of hair color and style, along with a new identity,   
and she could race again. It was easier for her than for   
Michiru, for example. Sure, she could work in a recording   
studio, but it wasn't the same as a live performance. It   
was the prizes upstairs that she would miss the most. Not   
everyone had such patient and supportive parents.   
You're getting to be an old softy, girl, she scolded   
herself as she turned to leave the house. She let herself   
regret her decision for as long as it took her to reach   
her car outside. After that, she was able to drive away   
with a clear conscience, fully prepared for what tomorrow   
might bring.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Good morning, Usako," he greeted her and took   
her into his arms for a hug that both of them needed   
this morning. He gasped in surprise and almost fell to   
one knee when the girl jumped up onto his back from   
behind like she used to do.   
" I'm sorry, Mamo-chan," Chibi-usa admitted and   
slid to the ground. " I guess that I'm not as little   
as I used to be."   
" No, you're not," he said and pulled her around   
and into a the hug with them for a few moments before   
they broke up. " Shall we?"   
" Yes," the blonde replied and forced herself to   
smile. She turned back towards the house. " Good-bye, Mama!"   
" Bye-Bye, Ikuko-mama!" the pink-haired girl   
echoed her.  
They walked to the park in a degree of silence;   
each wrapped up in their own thoughts. The two girls   
had only their purses with them while the young man had   
a backpack slung over one shoulder. As they entered the   
park itself, they were able to see two figures sitting   
on one of the other benches by the dock they were at   
Saturday morning.   
" Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" she cried out, feeling   
her heart sink when she realized that they didn't have   
any bags with them like they had all agreed to do if they   
were going to go ahead with the plan. She didn't really   
want them to do this, but she had expected these two to   
have easily decided to accept the loss.  
" They're in the van, Usagi-chan," Michiru gently   
explained to her, realizing what the look of confusion on   
her face meant.   
" I'll be back in a second," Chibi-usa called out   
and ran off, having spotted a familiar ponytail over a   
hedge across the park. It turned out to be Makoto and   
Hotaru, as well as the two cats and Minako-chan. Makoto   
was carrying the child while the cats caught a ride on   
her broad shoulders as Hotaru lugged along a pair of   
mismatched suitcases, one of which she surrendered to   
Chibi-usa.   
" Are you absolutely certain of this?" Usagi asked   
them when they got there.   
" I am, Usagi-chan," Makoto said while Hotaru simply   
nodded. The brunette let the cats jump to the bench before   
looking around at them. " You're my family now, everyone.   
I'm not going to let you down."   
" Mako-chan," she began to protest. " What about-"   
" There's nothing here for me anymore, Usagi-chan,"   
she quickly cut her off, but not harshly. " I'm not going   
to abandon my family. I never really realized it until now,   
but I have a family again, and I'm not going to lose a   
second one."   
" Is everything ready, Mamoru-san?" Artemis asked   
a few moments later as he settled down on the back of   
the bench.   
" It is," he replied to the cat. He patted the   
strap of the backpack. " I've practiced the ritual a   
dozen times, and I'm packed."   
" I thought that you weren't going to have to do   
this, Mamoru-san?" Hotaru asked.   
" We're already what we are going to be,   
Hotaru-chan," he said to her. " The spell wouldn't   
do us any good, I'm afraid. This is just some things   
that I might need today."   
" Sorry we're a little late," Ami called out from   
where she came through the trees behind them along with   
Rei.   
" We took the scenic route," the other girl joked   
as she set down a suitcase and a traveling bag. Ami was   
similarly laden down, but with a backpack and suitcase.   
" I don't know what to say," Usagi whispered,   
looking around at her friends. " I want to thank you   
and tell you what stupid idiots you are all at the same   
time."  
" Usagi-chan," Rei sharply said her name, walked   
up to her and put her hands on Usagi's shoulders to turn   
her until they were looking right at each other. " He didn't   
give us a choice, Usagi-chan. You were right about that,   
and this is our one chance to help protect you."   
" Don't you all understand that I love you, and I   
don't want to see any of you hurt like this?" she replied   
and looked at each of them in turn again.   
" It's because of our love and respect for you that   
we are doing this, Usagi-chan," Michiru explained. " We   
don't want you hurt, either. That is why we choose to do   
this. It isn't out of any feeling of obligation towards   
you, Princess. We do this because you do love us, and   
care about us."   
" Will anything I say make you change your mind?" she   
asked. Silence was her only reply. She sighed before going   
on. " Now that we know that we are going to do this, next   
we have to decide where."   
" It has to be remote," Hotaru said. " I don't want   
any distractions or hostages."   
" The mountains?" Makoto wondered.   
"No," Luna called out and waited for them to be   
quiet. " There's only one real choice. The moon."   
" The moon?" Usagi asked. " There's no air."   
" We've been in space before and survived," Ami   
pointed out. " Remember Fiore?"  
"We don't have anything to fear from being there,"   
Chibi-usa responded. " I think that the moon is the perfect   
place."  
" She's right," Artemis added. " Symbolism can be   
very important in magic, from what little I know about it,   
and there's no better place for us to be doing this   
together."   
Mamoru nodded. A few moments later, all of them   
had agreed, and he and Haruka carried the luggage over   
to the van. If they were successful, after she dropped   
everything off at the rendezvous point she would drive   
the rental to the house in the mountains and set if off   
as per their plan. If they weren't, it really wouldn't   
matter.   
" The far clearing will be safe for us to use,"   
Michiru told them as they walked towards it and the set   
of barriers that they moved out of their way. " It's   
closed right now so it can be fixed up after the cherry   
blossom festivals."   
" I guess this is the last time we do this, then,"   
Makoto declared as she took out her transformation   
wand. Hotaru took Minako from her before the brunette   
transformed into Sailor Jupiter. The shorter girl handed   
the child back, changed and began to put on a nylon   
harness designed for carrying children.  
" Yes, we are taking her," she responded to several   
puzzled looks. Saturn took the child back and slipped her   
into her spot on the harness and checked the restraints   
that held Minako in place. " Nobody stays behind on this   
one. Not even the cats, and I can keep my Silence Wall   
airtight long enough for us to come back if this doesn't   
work."   
" I was hoping that you weren't going to make us   
stay behind again," the black cat added, pointedly looking   
at Usagi. " We'll stay out of the way in the fight, but   
you need us up there to help figure out whatever is left   
of the ruins if ithat is needed."  
The blonde began to protest as the others began to   
transform, but thought better of it and reached for her   
broach. A hand caught her arm.  
" Mama?" the girl at her side piped up. " I don't   
think that is the best idea right now. Mamo... Papa did   
say that you needed to start learning to use the crystal   
without the broach. Don't you think that this is a good   
time to start?"   
" You're right, Chibi-usa-chan," she smiled down at   
her daughter. She looked around her and saw that they   
were waiting for her. " I'm as ready as I'm going to be."   
" The last few teleports have been rough,   
everyone," Artemis reminded them as he got up onto   
Jupiter's shoulder. Luna did the same to Tuxedo   
Kamen. Mercury thought about it and brought up her   
visor before they linked hands. " Hold on tightly and   
keep your mind focused."   
" I'll call it," Usagi announced. Mars' hair had   
already drifted up behind her, and she could feel her   
own doing the same. She closed her eyes to better think   
about what she was going to do. It was not easy, but   
she maintained her calm and thought about her planned   
destination. This was a radical shift of perception for   
her, she knew and patiently waited until they had   
accumulated enough power to do this.   
" Home," she whispered. " Let's go home."   
  
************************************************  
  
This teleport was surprisingly easy. One moment   
they were on the Earth and had closed their eyes in   
concentration. The next they were standing on the   
surface of the Moon in a slight circular depression   
that was several kilometers in diameter. All around   
them was a clutter of rocks, but they were far too   
even and regular to have been entirely natural. Most   
were waist height or less, but many were taller than   
they were.   
" There is an atmosphere over this region," Mercury   
announced as they turned to look at the unique view of   
the Earth. " It's still a little cool, but easily livable   
in. How did the scientists miss it?"  
" Welcome to the Sea of Serenity," Artemis told her   
and waved a paw around at the broken, scattered   
ruins. " Didn't you ever wonder why those same   
scientists never saw this up here?"   
" The Sea of Serenity," Mercury whispered and   
looked around to try and get her bearings. She giggled   
once, opened her mouth to speak and closed it like she   
had thought better of saying it, but did do a little   
bunny hop to test the amount of gravity.  
" What is it, Mercury?" the black cat asked,   
jumping to her shoulder.   
" Almost full gravity, too," she replied absently   
and then blushed. " We're not too far from Tranquillity   
Base. I was hoping we could have made a slight   
detour. I've always wanted to go there."   
" Sightseeing, Mercury?" Tuxedo Kamen chuckled   
and released the hands of the two girls that were   
tightly holding his. " It would be nice to see the   
landing site, though."  
" Usagi-chan?" Mars asked in surprise, looking   
away from the desolation. The blonde had been wearing a   
blouse and a skirt when they left, but now she and her   
daughter were in their matching white gowns.   
" What?" Usagi cried out in surprise. She turned   
towards her daughter, who was trying to look surprised   
as well and failing. " You knew about this, didn't you?"   
" I wasn't sure that it would happen to you," the   
girl admitted. " It always does for me when-"   
" Enough, Chibi-usa-chan," Neptune interrupted   
her. " You just gave something away about the future,   
and you were about to give away more."  
" Does anyone know where we are?" Saturn asked as   
she took off the harness and set Minako on the ground. The   
little girl was in a set of blue overalls and shoes that   
could take the terrain. Barring a fall, the worst that   
the girl would get was a little dirty.   
" This was the main garden," Jupiter said. " Beryl's   
troops came through from over there where the public   
sections were. The city proper was more over that   
way. The Guard barracks and the palace would have   
been behind us."   
The brunette pointed out the places that she   
remembered. Uranus frowned slightly.   
" Then this is where we were last together,   
then," she said and turned around so that she was   
facing the direction Jupiter had said the armies were   
going. She took several steps in that direction before   
stopping in surprise. " I thought that everything was   
destroyed."  
Only two partial segments of wall were still   
standing, and they were ranging from knee to waist   
height. Still, it showed them something of the shape   
and scope of the building. The broad plaza in front of   
it was still relatively clear, as were the low steps   
leading up to the plaza.   
Chibi-usa gave a cry of joy and raced forward   
towards the building. Minako did the same at the best   
speed her ability and short legs would allow. Saturn   
began to cry as well, and let the Glaive fall to the   
ground. She picked up the child on the run and dashed   
forward.  
" Pu!" the pink-haired girl cried out, hurling   
herself into the arms of the tall woman standing there   
at the top of the steps in a white and black fuku with   
long, dark green hair and an ornate staff in her hand.  
" Hime-chan," the woman whispered to the girl as   
she returned the embrace and swung her around a few   
times.. " I guess that I can't call you Small Lady   
anymore. You've gotten so tall."  
" That's my nickname, Setsuna-mama," Saturn   
teased her as she came up to them and was hugged as   
well by the woman who then took the blonde child into   
her arms. The others had reached them by then, and Pluto   
kneeled before the woman in the white gown.   
" Forgive me, Princess," she asked, catching the   
eyes of the man at her side and giving him a slight nod   
of gratitude. " I'm so sorry that I had to stay away   
when you needed me this time."   
" Pluto," Usagi replied, pulling the woman up to   
her feet. " We thought that you were dead. Why didn't you   
come back to us?"  
" I'm not so sure that I can die anymore," she   
replied, and her face grew more somber. " That scares   
me almost as much what was happening to you when I sensed   
the timeline being disrupted and came to save you from the   
magi.  
" The reason why I couldn't come back, though," she   
added, looking around at all of them. " There was an   
enemy in your midst when I woke up."   
" Sailor Sun," Uranus stated. Pluto saw the   
question forming in Usagi's eyes.   
" Do you play cards, Usagi-chan?" she gently   
asked and waited for her to nod before continuing. " You   
don't tell your opponent that you're planning to cheat   
and have an ace tucked away up your sleeve. If I was   
with you, or if I had even told you that I was still   
here, you would have acted differently, and he would   
have known I was here. Please remember, I have to protect   
the timeline as well as you, Princess. If he doesn't know   
about me, he can't be as much a threat to time."  
" You must have been so lonely, Pluto," the blonde   
girl said and hugged the woman. " I wish that it could   
have been different for you this time."   
" It is going to be different this time, Princess,"   
the woman firmly responded and lifted Usagi's chin until   
she was looking her directly in the eyes. " I'm tired of   
not being able to be there for everyone at the end like   
before. I've had to stay away from the fight at the end,   
or I've fallen before it was over, and you've all had to   
pay the price for it.  
" I stayed away when Beryl attacked the Moon, and   
you all died. Hotaru-chan sacrificed herself when we   
were fighting the Deathbusters. Minako-chan here," she   
went on after brushing back a lock of the child's hair   
from her face. " She paid the price the last time when   
we were fighting the magi. Nobody else is going to be   
hurt because of me."   
" Minako-chan knew you, Pluto. Is that her?" Artemis   
asked. " Do you know if she is the same Minako-chan that   
we knew?"   
" I'm so sorry, Artemis," she said and walked over   
by Jupiter to lay a consoling hand on his shoulder. " This   
child is indeed Venus. I used to visit her at night a   
lot, and she definitely is still Venus. She isn't our   
Minako-chan, though.  
" Or I haven't been able to reach her," she added,   
seeing the poor cat's heart break at the news. " There   
is a Venus in the future, but I don't know if it is   
her. I simply don't know, Artemis."   
" No!" he cried out and flung himself off of the   
brunette's shoulder in a long, soaring leap. " It isn't   
fair!"  
He sprinted away at his top speed with Luna in   
close pursuit for about a hundred meters until he   
collapsed to the ground and began to wail out in grief.   
She turned back to them as Jupiter began to follow and   
shook her head from side to side to tell them to stay   
there before curling up with him.  
" Pluto, do you know what our plan is?" Mercury   
asked her.   
" More importantly," Jupiter added. " Will it work?"   
" The girls who were discovered to be Senshi when   
they were infants or children always woke to their full   
power more quickly than those who were chosen as   
teens," Pluto replied. " Endymion-sama has the right   
idea. This will help you become more like the ones who   
were chosen at birth."   
" Endymion-sama?" Mars echoed her.  
" She's right in calling me that," the man   
said. " I need to start thinking of myself as going   
by that name more often."   
" You're not the only one," Chibi-usa said and   
walked over to stand in front of her mother.   
*I love you, Mama. Make sure that you tell Papa   
that I love him as well*  
*Chibi-usa-chan?*  
" I have to go now," the pink-haired girl   
announced. " Now that Pu's here, I need to return to   
my time. I'll miss you all so much, and I don't ever   
think that I'll be able to thank all of you for the many   
things that you've done for me."   
" You're making this sound so... permanent,   
Chibi-usa-chan," Saturn commented, beginning to feel   
worried.   
" Is this the last time, Chibi-usa-chan?" Neptune   
asked her, realizing that the girl was having a tough   
time actually saying it and hoping to spare her some of   
the pain.   
" No," Usagi whispered and desperately hugged her   
daughter. " Does it have to be the last time?"   
" You'll see me soon enough, Usagi-chan," the girl   
sniffled. " I'm going to miss you too. I've always felt   
so special that I had a mother who was also such a good   
friend.  
" And a father, too," she added, getting a hug   
from him as well. " I wish that it didn't have to be   
so soon, but we don't have much time left."   
" I love you, too, Chibi-usa-chan," the young   
man told her. " And I'm proud of you. We'll be glad to   
see you again, no matter when it is."   
" You've done well, squirt," Uranus respectfully   
knelt down by the girl before grinning and playfully   
mussing up her hair. Neptune knelt as well and got a   
brief, fervent hug.   
" We need to do a trade," Pluto told the girl,   
unhooking one of the time-keys from the chain around   
her waist. " Yours needs a recharge."   
The tall woman knelt as well as they exchanged   
keys and embraces.  
" Good-bye, Pu."   
" Only for a little while. Until then, farewell,   
Small Lady."   
Chibi-usa gave the child in Pluto's arms a kiss on   
the forehead before turning towards Saturn. " Hota-chan?"   
" I wish I could know just one thing about the   
future, Chibi-chan," she murmured to her as she drew   
the now-crying girl in against her. " Since I can't,   
though, I'll pray that we get to see each other   
again. Thank you for reaching out to me and wanting   
to be friends, Chibi-usa-chan."   
Saturn reluctantly pulled away and gave the girl   
a nudge towards the three Inner Senshi. Chibi-usa walked   
over to them and began to curtsy before she broke down   
and ran into the midst of them, trying to hug all three   
of them at once.   
" I'm going to miss you, even though I'll be seeing   
you again in a few minutes," she told them.   
" Take good care of yourself, little one," Jupiter   
teased her, ruffling the girl's pink hair as well. " Don't   
eat too many of my sweets, okay?"   
" Farewell, Small Lady," Mars said and leaned down   
to kiss her cheek. " You'll always be in our hearts and our   
prayers."   
" We'll miss you, Chibi-usa-chan," Mercury added. She   
glanced away to the two cats still huddled together. " I'll   
give them your regards."   
The girl reluctantly left them to go back to her   
mother and father once more. She tightly hugged him again   
before going down on one knee in front of her mother.  
" Usagi... Neo-Queen Serenity," she addressed her,   
holding Usagi's wrists so tightly that she could not could   
not kneel with her or pull the girl up like she tried   
to. " I need one more thing from you before I go home.   
" A few moments ago I said that Father was not the   
only one who needed to get used to using another name. You   
are the other one, I'm afraid," she said and released   
Usagi's hands in order to bring out her own   
crystal. " There's only one thing that I've seen   
you do that my mother has never done, and only one   
thing that you have that she has never had.  
" I need to take your broach with me, Mother."   
" My broach?" she said, protests beginning to   
form in her mind before she remembered what Mamo-chan   
had told her.  
" There is far more to you than the costume,   
Mama," the young girl smiled up at her. The blonde   
sighed and took out her broach, realizing the truth   
in the girl's words. A simple command made it release   
her own crystal into her hand and she extended the   
broach down towards her daughter.   
She was on her own now, she suddenly realized. No   
more Sailor Moon to fall back on, she thought almost   
sadly until the revelation hit her. This was exactly   
what he had meant by the broach limiting her growth   
after a certain point, and she smiled at the sudden   
insight.  
The girl put her own crystal, more pink in color   
than the her mother's, atop the broach. Before her   
mother could pull her hand back, the girl folded her   
hands around her mother's and reverently pressed them to   
her own forehead. A surge of power was felt by both of   
them.   
" Thank you, Mama," she whispered and stood. The   
girl's crystal was now snugly inside of something that   
was glowing brightly enough so that nobody could make   
out the exact shape of it.   
" Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" the girl called out   
and a wave of red ribbons flowed over her, leaving her   
wearing a familiar blue, white and red outfit. The broach   
was also in a familiar, round shape.   
" Sailor Chibi-" the young man began to say but   
realized his error.  
" No, she's not 'chibi' anymore," Neptune pointed out.  
" I still have a lot to learn, Usagi-chan, but   
you've taught me so much already," the girl explained. " It   
won't be easy to fill your shoes, and I'm going to have   
to learn how to be a queen one day as well."   
A few meters behind and above them, a swirling   
pink cloud appeared.   
" It's time," the pink-haired Senshi announced   
and ran over to stand beneath it before anyone could   
react. She took out the key she had gotten from Pluto.   
*Chibi-usa-chan!* Usagi called out to her in her   
mind.   
*I know that I'm not going to be a good child for   
a long time, Mama* the girl replied and sheepishly smiled   
as she began to rise up in the air. *But you loved me   
anyway, despite the fact that I was a horrible little   
monster for so long. It will get better between us, Mama.   
Please remember that, no matter what*  
*I'm going to miss you so much* she cried out and   
opened her heart to her daughter, who replied in kind;   
each allowing the other to see just how much they really   
and truly cared for the other.   
A moment later the girl was gone.  
  
***********************************************  
  
  
  
The End of the Beginning {3/4} 


	4. Default Chapter Title

The End of the Beginning {4/4}  
  
  
************************************************   
  
" They're breaking up over there," the blonde   
observed.   
" In more ways than one," Pluto answered her,   
looking at the others clustered around Usagi. She and   
Uranus had given them a few moments of privacy to step   
away and briefly discuss tactics for the upcoming fight.   
Neptune was quietly talking to Tuxedo Kamen a few meters   
away from them along with the two cats who had finally   
come back.   
" If she's as tough as you say, this isn't going   
to be easy," the woman added. " We don't have much time,   
either. All of her attacks have been at noon, local time.   
The more time we have to adapt to the change the better."   
" You're doing it, too?" the blonde asked, feeling   
somewhat surprised.   
" I didn't have a family in the sense that you did,   
Uranus, but Setsuna Meiou is part of who I am as much as   
Sailor Pluto is. I spent a long time as her, learning about   
this new world. I may not need the boost in power to change   
my mindset, but I'm doing this along with the rest of you.   
" I know more than a bit about magic, myself. This   
will be stronger if we do it as a group as opposed to one   
at a time over a long period. If Usagi-chan was making   
the sacrifice also, Mamoru wouldn't have hesitated to. I'm   
sure that he's only holding back for her sake."   
" You're right as always," Uranus sighed. " If she   
knew that, she would do it as well. None of us really want   
that, I think. She's the only one of us who had a normal,   
happy home to go back to."   
" Not even you and Neptune?" she slyly asked.  
" My parents weren't able to understand me after I   
was six," she admitted. " I think that it was the same for   
Neptune. They loved us and supported us, but they couldn't   
understand that we were never meant to be part of them. I   
only felt like I was part of a family when we were raising   
our own little hime-chan."   
" I understand you," Pluto replied. " My own flesh   
and blood sisters never felt as much a part of me as you   
three."   
" Thank you, onee-san," the blonde graciously smiled   
and gave the other woman a quick squeeze around the   
shoulders with one arm. A sparkle of mischief crept   
into the smile for a moment. " Does that mean that I   
can call you Pu as well?"   
" No," the woman quickly responded and stifled   
a giggle as Neptune came over with the young man and   
the cats.   
" We need to get started," the man called out,   
getting the attention of the others as well. Saturn   
ran back to where they had arrived at to retrieve the   
Glaive before joining them as they made a circle where   
Tuxedo Kamen indicated.   
" This is going to be easier and harder for Usagi   
and I than all of you for a few reasons," he started. He   
closed his eyes for a few moments and his tuxedo shifted   
slightly into a more formal, ornate looking style, but   
still in his customary black. He removed and put away the   
mask that had appeared. " I can't get used to that shade   
of lavender yet, but most of our changes will be simple   
cosmetics and how we think about ourselves. Just calling   
myself Endymion won't do it all, but it will be a start.   
" What the sacrifice will do for you is to force   
that change on you. It isn't a matter of cosmetics in   
your case. It will only take a few days for you to learn   
a simple spell that will let you change clothes back and   
forth like what the wands and scepters were for. You won't   
need them anymore, and I worked that into the ritual of   
the spell."   
He looked at them in turn before going on. " I'm   
ready."   
" We all are," Mars responded, glancing at the   
others and not seeing any of them hesitating to meet   
her gaze. He nodded and looked at the child that Pluto   
was still holding.   
" Ar-... ah, Luna, why don't you take Minako-chan   
over there so that she's out of the way," he said and   
pointed out a spot several meters away. " Artemis,   
please keep an eye out from over there on the other   
side. I don't think that they'll change their strategy,   
but it doesn't hurt to play it safe. Serenity?"   
" Yes?" she replied, feeling embarrassed because he   
had to repeat himself before she realized that he was   
addressing her. At his request, she walked over to stand   
next to him.   
" Once I cast the actual spell over all of us, your   
part is very easy," he told the Senshi. " One at a time,   
while you are still in your Senshi form, you say your   
planet's name and 'Eternal Power', just like you currently   
do. Don't say anything about make-up, though.   
" After that, break your wands," he finished.   
" Break them?" Jupiter cried out. " They don't break,   
Mamoru-san. I accidentally dropped mine off my balcony   
onto the sidewalk, and I'm on the third story. It chipped   
the concrete."   
" They will if you want them to, Jupiter," he   
explained to her. " This will symbolically sever the   
ties between you and your old life."   
" In other words," Mercury added. " It says that   
there's no way to go back."   
" Is that all there is to it?" Mars asked. When   
he nodded, she walked over to the couple. " I'll go first."   
Usagi ran into her arms and hugged her, beginning   
to cry again for yet another time. She'd lost count of   
how often she had cried today. " Rei-"  
" Later, Usagi-chan," the Senshi whispered,   
interrupting her and steered her back to the man's   
side. " We can talk about it later, after we take care   
of this."   
" I'm sorry, Usako," he said to her and briefly   
hugged her. " We have to do this now. I need your help,   
remember?"   
Joining hands, he began whispering a prayer to the   
Light as gold and silver tendrils began to form around   
them. The arcane formulae he recited spread them around   
to encompass all of them, even the cats and the child.  
" Dropped?" Mercury whispered to Jupiter, asking   
her about the earlier disclosure.   
" All right," the brunette quietly   
admitted. " Threw. Right after I lost a boyfriend   
due to breaking yet another date to go fight a youma."   
" I'm sorry, Mako-chan," the one in blue replied   
and patted her on the arm. The threads of light faded away.   
" It wouldn't do to have them forget us," Tuxedo   
Kamen explained. " I can include the cats and Minako-chan   
among the ones who will remember you because of the   
common background we have together."   
He turned to the Senshi of the fourth planet and   
gave her a gentle, almost sad smile. " Thank you,   
Mars-sama. It's never easy to be the first one."   
She nodded and kneeled before them. Furtively,   
her eyes sought out his before she looked down. Once   
again, they were trusting each other as firsts. She   
gathered and restored her sense of resolve and pulled   
out her transformation wand. They laid their hands atop   
her head in benediction.  
" Mars Eternal Power!" she cried out and closed her   
right hand on the wand, and was startled at how easily it   
fractured into several pieces.   
" I don't feel different," she said, leaving the   
pieces at their feet before standing.   
" The changes are inside, Mars," Pluto said as she   
briefly laid a comforting hand on the girl's arm before   
stepping up to the two royals. She went to one knee before   
them and bowed her head as well, taking out her scepter.   
" Pluto Eternal Power!"  
The brunette took her place and did the same as   
the others, but gave the couple a warm smile before   
bowing her head.  
" Jupiter Eternal Power!"   
The one who was a Senshi for the least amount of   
time stepped up next.  
" Saturn Eternal Power!"  
A girl in a blue and white fuku followed with a   
determined look in her eyes.   
" Mercury Eternal Power!"   
The last two came forward and kneeled as one. Everyone   
smiled a little at that, knowing it to be so much like   
them in everything else they did. Together, as always.   
" Neptune Eternal Power!"   
" Uranus Eternal Power!"   
The two woman rose to their feet as the couple let   
go of each other's hands.   
" It is done," he said and bowed his head.   
" He'll have felt that," Usagi decided and walked   
first to Artemis and then Luna in order to hold each of   
them for a moment. The power levels that she had sensed   
during the ritual convinced her that they had just thrown   
down the gauntlet. " They'll be here soon."   
" Usagi-chan," the black cat said and rubbed the   
side of her face against the blonde's in a display of   
affection. " You'll do fine. I believe in you."   
" Thank you, Luna-sama," she told the cat, put her   
down and picked up the child. I never got to say this to   
you, Minako-chan, she said inside of herself to the child,   
and offered up another prayer that she would get to see her   
friend again. I'm going to make you proud of me,   
Minako-chan. I won't waste the second chance that you've   
given me.   
A response was not long in coming. Scant minutes   
later a burst of white light from the middle of the   
gardens heralded the arrival of Flare.   
" So be it," she called out to them, her voice   
clearly audible to them despite the distance. " It is   
time to pay the price for your refusal of our demands."  
" Stay back, Saturn," Uranus growled under her   
breath. " Until we see some sign of Sailor Sun, she's   
off-limits to you. Pluto, too."   
" I understand," the Senshi of the outermost planet   
quietly replied.  
" This is your last chance, Hamaji-chan!" Mars   
called out. This was a part of the ruse and a part of   
the feelings in her heart. " Don't make me have to   
fight you."  
" No, Mars," she responded. " You had your chance   
to surrender. From here on in, there is no quarter."   
" Nor would we accept it," Uranus shouted. She put   
one hand on her hip and pointed at their opponent with   
the other. With her best mocking smile, she turned her   
hand over and repeatedly crooked the one finger pointing   
at Flare in a gesture that was a clear invitation to her   
to come and get it.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Scatter!" Uranus yelled and leapt up high as   
Flare dropped to one knee and stretched out both of her   
hands towards them. The three Inners, recognizing the   
attack from the other day, spread out to avoid being a   
cluster of targets.   
" Flame Stream-"   
" Silence-"   
" Prominence!"  
" Wall!" Saturn yelled, stepping forward and in   
front of the cats with the Silence Glaive held out   
defensively. Her words drowned out the whisper of her   
companion, but her barrier did nothing to impede a ringed,   
purple sphere that Flare avoided only at the last moment.   
" I do not need to be protected," Usagi protested   
as Neptune and Tuxedo Kamen moved a hunk of marble to   
form a more secure space for the cats and Minako-chan   
to stay in so they would be out of the way of the worst   
of the attacks. Saturn had protected them from Flare's   
opener, but she couldn't always be on the defensive and   
tied down to a particular spot.   
" We know, Usagi-chan," Neptune calmly explained to   
her. " This may be a ploy to make us expend our energy   
before the real fight begins.  
" Remember, we still don't know enough about him to   
feel that we only have to take her out," she finished and   
ran towards Flare as the other Senshi began to   
counterattack.   
" Usa," the man said to her and helped her   
squeeze the child into the space they had made. " I..."   
" Just be careful," she told him and sighed.   
She knew that he wanted to stay with her, but he also   
understood that his flexibility was one of cornerstones   
of their strategy against Flare. With a smile, he   
followed Neptune into the fight.   
" It doesn't get any easier, Usagi-chan," Pluto   
gently told her as she moved back to be by her   
side. " Holding back when the ones you love are in   
danger is the toughest thing that I have ever had   
to do."   
" I thought that you would have told Uranus no   
when she asked you to stay back at first," the blonde   
asked, remembering Pluto's earlier words. She also   
tried to clear her mind and remember what she felt   
like when she did her attacks. If Chibi-usa could do   
it with just her crystal, so could she.   
" I'm still here at the end," the woman grimly   
smiled. " I understand the tactical situation well   
enough to understand what she's trying to do. Now, if   
she tried telling me to leave, that would have been   
another story. I probably would have spanked her."   
The resulting peal of laughter sounded very   
incongruous on the field of battle.   
  
************************************************  
  
Yes! she cried out in her mind. It was working. The   
'Sparkling Vital Pressure' that Flare hadn't noticed on   
Monday had just forced her back two steps. They actually   
had a real chance.   
Sticking to the plan, she fell back away from her   
after scoring the hit. As they had expected, Flare was   
getting angry and turning to face whoever hit her   
last. The same tactics were used by wolfs when they   
hunted in packs, Haruka had told them. Flare would   
figure it out sooner or later, so they had to press   
home their advantage.   
Mercury ran in behind Flare as she turned and hit   
her with a blast from the glowing blue harp that appeared   
in her hands. The redhead screamed in pain and fell to   
the ground, and was barely able to avoid an arrow made of   
red flames that would have entered her cheek.  
" You idiots!" she screamed and rolled to her   
feet. " This isn't going to be settled like this. You   
don't have any choice in the matter!"   
As quick as a cat, she turned and caught Tuxedo   
Kamen in the stomach in the stomach with a thin, white   
needle of light as he closed to attack in a fashion   
similar to Mercury.   
" Tuxedo Kamen!" both Mars and the blonde who   
wasn't in the fray screamed out, but it was the Senshi   
who was caught by another attack from Flare as she   
stood and gaped, and fell to the ground.   
" Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Usagi   
shrieked and flung a torrent of energy between Flare   
and the two casualties. All of the combatants turned   
their faces away from the conflagration of power for   
a moment.   
" Jupiter!" the sandy-haired blond yelled and   
reached into her dimensional pocket to take out Venus'   
sword. It may not be right to use it, but the brunette   
was more familiar with it than Endymion's, and he was   
out cold. They had to take her down fast, and their   
ranged attacks weren't going to do it.   
" World Shaking!" she called out and tossed the   
sphere at Flare as a cover for hurling the sword over   
to Jupiter. She then whipped out the Space Sword and   
unsheathed it, allowing the scabbard to fall to the   
ground.   
" Shabon Spray!" Mercury cried, trying to provide   
some cover for the two with a cloud of mist. She did her   
best to keep it tightly centered around Flare because   
it would make it easier for the next maneuver.   
" Why don't you just give up?" Flare yelled from   
inside the fog. With a cry of rage, Jupiter caught the   
sword in mid-air and went into the fog on the same   
leap. Uranus ran towards it as well.   
" Now!" she yelled out and Neptune popped up   
from behind the remains of a shattered column with the   
Deep Aqua Mirror held before her. Before she could say   
anything, however, Jupiter and the sword came flying out   
of the mist. Jupiter only flew a few meters, but didn't   
move after landing. The sword was flung much further   
away in another direction and landed behind some rocks   
with clear, bell-like tones.  
" Submarine Reflection!" Neptune managed to finish   
and dispersed the fog. Her partner didn't have much time   
to react, but she didn't need it as she started her   
strike and savagely grinned. Flare didn't have her   
sword out.  
  
************************************************  
  
Usagi started forward after just missing Flare   
with her attack. Her heart was pounding so loudly after   
she saw Mamoru go down that she didn't hear Pluto's   
cries. She didn't hear Saturn, either, but the hand   
that grabbed her wrist and stopped her finally broke   
her out of her panic.   
" No!" she cried out as Flare neatly sidestepped   
Uranus' attack. The redhead's right arm was drawn in   
slightly to avoid the attack, and then she swung it   
out and over the back of the sword as a continuation   
of the circular motion she had started. Before Uranus   
could do anything to counter it, Flare grabbed the   
blunt back of the blade and plucked the sword from   
her grasp.   
" Uranus!" Neptune cried out as well and began   
to charge at the woman in black, who kept on turning   
with the surprised Senshi and placed her left hand   
square in the back of her target. The flash of light   
was hardly visible, but the Senshi fell to the ground   
like she was struck down the weight of a mountain.   
" Saturn!" Pluto yelled and waved her forward. She   
did as told, releasing Usagi who slumped to her knees. As   
usual, the first casualty in this or any fight was the   
plan for the battle. Uranus had said to hold back, but   
now it was time to change tactics. So far, none of them   
looked seriously hurt, with Uranus perhaps being the   
exception.   
In a few more steps, however, Neptune wasn't   
going to be so lucky. She had stumbled when she saw   
the blonde go down and was in no position to avoid the   
sword thrust that Flare was aiming at her heart. A mental   
command activated the Garnet Orb at the end of her staff   
and she held it with both hands while she saw Neptune's   
eyes go wide with fear as she realized what was about   
to happen.  
" Gather," she whispered, invoking the power that   
was hers as one of the carriers of the three talismans. In   
response, both the Space Sword and the Deep Aqua Mirror   
vanished in a sparkle of golden light and reappeared a   
few meters away from her, the two talismans forming the   
other points of a triangle with the Garnet Orb.  
She imagined that the same surprised look that was   
on Eudial's face was now on Flare's as well, but she didn't   
stop to stare like the witch had. Her hand didn't hurt   
Neptune as it hit her, but Flare quickly recovered and   
slammed the heel of her hand into the Senshi's chin   
before Pluto could finish the longer command to shift   
over their bodies as well. The shock of being teleported   
on top of the blow combined to knock out the Senshi.   
Mercury hesitated a moment as Neptune vanished. It  
was all the time that Flare needed to raise an arm and cut   
down the blue-clad Senshi before Saturn came plummeting   
down at her with the Silence Glaive glowing like the sun.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Mamo-chan," she whispered as Saturn released her   
and she fell to her knees, still not wanting to believe   
what she had seen. The pebbles and grit that Saturn   
kicked up in her wake when the Senshi ran forward weren't   
even noticed as they hit her in the face.  
Neptune staggered back as she was hit and her head   
was snapped upwards before she shimmered and vanished.   
She opened her mouth to cry out and warn Mercury, but   
Flare beat her to it, spinning and shooting the one in   
blue as she hesitated.   
Suddenly, there was a moment of silence. Pluto had   
just finished moving Uranus and Neptune and was turning   
towards their enemy. Saturn was falling towards the   
redhead and beginning to glow. For one brief moment,   
it was ominously quiet.   
Crying. It was faint, but she heard crying.   
" Minako-chan!" she screamed and jumped backwards,   
twisting as she did and landed in front of the opening   
to the hiding place where they had put her and the cats   
earlier. From behind her a wave of light, heat and noise   
swept past, making her whimper in pain as it continued to   
escalate.   
" No!" she cried, her voice drowned out in the   
roaring sound. This wasn't how it was supposed to   
happen. The sound and the pain doubled, and then   
doubled again. She had to protect them. " No!"   
Her eyes were closed, so she was unable to see   
the silvery auras that surrounded all of the Senshi,   
Tuxedo Kamen and herself. In one last pulse of energy,   
the maelstrom around Saturn and Flare cleared away,   
revealing the Senshi standing there with the Silence   
Glaive bearing down on the woman in black. Flare was   
managing to hold a hemispherical barrier that was   
blocking it, but only at a great effort as translucent   
ribbons began to ghost in and out around Saturn.   
The last wave of energy destroyed the protective   
nimbus that protected each of them, but they also bore   
the worst of the blast. Pluto, since she was standing   
and offering the most area to be affected by the   
explosion, was dashed to the ground and slid several   
meters before stopping. The others were hardly affected.   
Usagi managed to push herself to her feet and   
turned around. Her back hurt. The pain was like when   
she spent too much time at the beach and got a sunburn,   
but this was a whole new level of magnitude.   
" This isn't quite what you expected, is it,   
Serenity?"   
She spun around and winced at the pain it   
caused. Sailor Sun was standing behind her on the   
other side of the barricade they had made for the   
cats.   
" I underestimated Hotaru's stubbornness," he   
said, leaned forward against a marble block, folded   
his arms on the top of it, and rested his chin on his   
arms. " And her power as well.   
" A pity, really. I sort of liked her, even   
though I only met her a few times. She can't beat   
Flare, you know. Even that new Senshi can't help   
you win," he added, pointing over at an unmoving   
Pluto.  
" I won't let you do this to them," she   
declared, forcing herself to stand upright despite   
the pain. She'd done an attack earlier without even   
thinking about how she would do it, so she decided   
to do another and let her power accumulate like it   
normally had done back when she was Sailor Moon and   
was beginning an attack.   
" No," he sighed, leaned forward and quickly   
tapped her on the forehead, right on the crescent,   
before she could react and the energy dispersed. " This   
isn't about fighting, remember?"   
" Then what is it about?" she challenged him. " All   
you do is say that we've wronged you somehow. I never saw   
you until last Monday. We were nice to Shino when he   
didn't have any other friends. Why do you hate us so   
much?"   
" It is about choices, and regarding the last, I   
simply do," he replied and began to walk around the   
rocks. He stumbled slightly and grinned for a moment,   
slightly embarrassed. The sight was so familiar that   
she missed the opportunity to attack him like she should   
have. She thought about doing it and all she could see   
was the friend she had made standing in front of her.   
" I think that I'll keep you alive for a while," he   
told her as he leaned back against the rock next to her,   
acting as casually as if they were old friends. " You   
wear your heart on your sleeve so much that it should   
be interesting to watch you observe the passage of years   
and all the mistakes that they will make as time goes by."  
" So, you're not going to kill everyone, then?" she   
asked.  
" As I said, your friends and your dreams will   
die," he responded, glancing over at the fight while   
he talked to her. It was much as it was a few moments   
ago, but it was also becoming clear that Saturn couldn't   
keep this up for too much longer. " The people down   
there; their own stupidity and short-sightedness will   
be my reward. Eventually, they are going to destroy   
each other by fire if they don't poison themselves first."   
" Why do you want to hurt me like this?" she   
almost sobbed, trying to hold back her tears.   
" You usurped my position," he chuckled. " Of   
course I... I... I want to hurt you."  
She looked at him in surprise as he stammered...   
no, forced out the last words, like it was the most   
difficult thing in the world. His tawny eyes lost   
some of their golden color.  
" Of course I... want... don't... want..."   
" Shino!" she yelled at him, feeling a spark   
of hope. Maybe he wasn't entirely gone like Rei   
thought that Hamaji was lost inside of Flare. Rei's   
attempts to reach Hamaji may have failed, but that   
didn't mean that this would. She had to try and reach   
him. "Shino!"  
" Want... don't... want...," he continued to   
struggle with the words as she took his hands in hers. He   
pulled free and ran away from her in a stumbling, awkward   
gait that she easily could match, and after he had gone   
about fifty meters he slipped and slid into a shallow   
gully running across his path. He tried to stand and   
stumbled again as she grabbed his hands. She thought   
back to one of her earlier attacks, remembering the   
things the 'Moon Princess Halation' had done aside   
from causing damage. Hurting him wasn't on her mind   
right now.  
Another idea occurred to her at the same   
time. Perhaps she was too worried about using her   
powers without the broach to help her. She had been   
worried about Flare being too close to Tuxedo Kamen   
and had attacked the woman without even thinking about   
how she actually did it. Maybe it was that easy, she   
realized. Maybe all she had to do was to just think   
about what she wanted, and the power would respond.   
" Moon Princess Halation!" she whispered, using   
the familiar mantra to help her remember what the old   
attack was like, but she was concentrating on getting   
a similar, but very different result out of it.   
Defend, protect, shield, she told herself, trying   
to think of all the different ways to say what she was   
trying to do. Support, aid, assist, sustain, and nurture,   
she added, hoping that it would be enough. She remembered   
the happy times they had together and tried to force all   
of her will upon the single idea of freeing him.  
" Don't... want... don't want... to... hurt   
you... Usagi."   
" Shino?" she gasped and looked up into eyes   
that were now green.  
  
************************************************  
  
She woke up after what felt to only be a few   
moments. Instinctively, she'd held on to her staff   
despite getting knocked down and knocked out. That   
much was good, at least, she told herself as she took   
stock of what she remembered. Saturn! the thought raced   
across her mind. Still not able to stand, she did manage   
to turn around enough to look at the girl.   
What she saw she distinctly did not like. Saturn   
had Flare in a bad position, but it was still a case of   
having the tiger by the tail. Flare couldn't attack her,   
but nor could she attack Flare, and Saturn was not going   
to be able to hold out like this for much longer.   
From what she knew of the girl's powers, she was   
right on the verge of crossing the line of calling upon   
her full power. The consequences of that would be fatal   
for Saturn, and none too easy for them to deal with   
either. Not this close to ground zero.   
She knew that she herself wasn't enough to make   
a difference here. Not when they needed so much force   
to hold Flare in one position and an almost equal amount   
to have a chance of damaging her. If the redhead was   
worrying enough to block Saturn's attack, it would be   
proof that she could be hurt by it. The princess was the   
only other one who could approach that level of power,   
but she couldn't see her.  
What other options were there, she asked   
herself? Uranus was hurt, she knew, but not the   
extent of the injury. Neptune had passed out. The   
prince and the other Senshi had been taken down earlier   
in the fight, and she doubted that they were going to   
be able to get up soon.   
Grimacing at the pain, she tried to stand up and   
fell again before she could get her staff under her for   
support, spots swimming before her eyes. A wave of   
dizziness passed over her and her vision got more   
cloudy before beginning to clear up.   
Think, she yelled at herself and concentrated   
on looking down at the hem of the black skirt of her   
fuku in an attempt to get back her full sight. Who else   
was there? They needed something to throw at Flare right   
now, something to hold her down long enough for them to   
regroup and attack.  
Her gaze fell upon the fortification that they   
had hastily erected right before the fight started. Bodies,   
she reminded herself and crawled over to it. We just need   
to throw enough bodies at her. All she has to do is to   
hold her off until we regroup.   
" Forgive me," she managed to whisper as she looked   
in on the two cats and the little girl before offering up   
a silent prayer that if she had a soul, what she was going   
to do would not be a black stain upon it. Her conscience   
was already condemning her well enough as is for what   
she was considering.  
  
************************************************  
  
" Usagi-chan," he gasped out and fell to his   
knees. " I'm so sorry."   
" Shino, what's happening?" she asked him,   
kneeling as well. " Who is doing this to you?"   
" It's Sailor Sun. He started right after the   
accident," the young man explained to her. " He was   
controlling what I could do, Usagi. He made me go to   
school with you, and he used me to find out what you   
were like, what you did, and who your friends were,   
just like he has done with Flare.  
" I wanted to be friends with you, though," he   
added with a small, sympathetic smile in an attempt to   
cheer her up. " That part was always me. You were so   
nice to me despite what had happened, and you were so   
pretty. I couldn't help but like you, and he took   
advantage of that."  
" If he's gone, why isn't-"   
" He's not gone," he quickly interrupted   
her. " While you've been fighting Flare recently,   
he's had to give her more and more power, and I was   
the only other source. He underestimated Hotaru-chan's   
power, and he has to concentrate more on controlling   
Flare to keep from losing the fight. His ego won't let   
him lose a real fight, and he wasn't paying as much   
attention to me.   
" You helped me to regain myself, Usagi-chan,   
but I can't hold him off for too long," he finished, and   
the smile grew more sad. " We need to stop him. I can   
only hold him at bay for a little while longer. You'll   
have to kill me before that happens."   
" No, Shino!" she cried. " I can't! We can beat him."   
" You can't, Usagi," he sighed. " He's too   
powerful. Hotaru-chan only has a few more minutes   
left before she gives up or kills herself trying to   
stop Flare. I'm holding onto a part of his power and   
keeping him from using it, but only for a few more   
minutes.   
" He never explained his answers, but he was   
right about this when he said that this really isn't   
about fighting, Usagi-chan. I can answer you, though. This   
is about choices. We have him in check right now, but if   
he beats Hotaru or gets me back he'll win. If he gets   
just one of us, he's going to kill everyone on the   
Earth. The sun puts out enough energy to burn away   
the entire planet. Everything will die.   
" Don't make me do that, Usagi-chan," he implored   
her. " I don't want to be the one who kills everyone that   
he liked. You wanted to give yourself up so that your   
friends would live. Why can't you let me do it so that   
mine can?"  
" I don't want to lose another friend," she pleaded   
with him. " All my life, everyone has always given   
themselves up so that I would live. I lost my mother   
that way. Then, one by one, I lost most of my friends. I've   
been lucky enough to have gotten some of them back, but   
what if I don't this time? I don't want this to happen   
again, Shino."  
" Do you think that I wanted this to happen,   
Usagi-chan?" he replied and gave her a ghost of a   
smile. " I lost my parents, but I found others who   
cared for me like I was their own. Most of the other   
students didn't like me very much, but I met you and   
your friends, and you all tried to get to know me for   
who I was, and you weren't bothered about what had   
happened to me. I even met someone who, if the   
circumstances were a little different, I might have   
been able to love."   
" Me?" she gasped, blushing. " Shino... I..."  
" I said might, Usagi-chan," he explained and   
the smile grew clearer. " You had Mamoru-san, and you   
seemed so happy together. Still, if I could feel like   
that about one person, I could probably feel that way   
about someone else, too. Suddenly, I had realized that   
I wasn't going to be alone for the rest of my life like   
I first thought when I got out of the hospital.   
" My point is that you helped to give me hope,   
Usagi-chan. I would have had a chance, and that's all   
I ever could have asked for. I've had a hard life, but   
it wasn't a bad one. There are so many people who have   
done so much for me. I can save them like this, and I   
can save you. The feedback from my death and the loss   
of power will weaken Flare enough for you to be able to   
beat her."   
" I don't want to win like this, Shino," she   
cried. " It isn't winning if you die."  
" It is, I'm afraid," he said, reaching over to   
wipe away one of the tears gathering in her eyes. " You   
can only stop one of us, Usagi, but not both. There   
aren't any good ways to die, but this is better than   
most."   
" Why me, though?" she asked, her voice catching   
in her throat. Shino sighed and let go of her hand   
before glancing around. He spotted something a few   
meters away, scurried over to get it and returned to   
her. She recognized it as Venus's sword.  
" I'm afraid, Usagi," he admitted. " I'm not very   
devout, but I was raised as a Christian. Suicides don't   
get into heaven, or so I've heard. I don't think that I   
can kill myself."  
She instinctively moved to embrace and comfort   
him. His left hand pressed against the front of her   
shoulder, stopping her, and he leaned down towards her   
with his eyes half closed.   
" Shino," she breathed, her voice not even a   
whisper, and tilted her head up slightly before closing   
her eyes. She could give him this much at least, she   
told herself as she felt his breath on her skin.  
He kissed her lightly on the cheek, much to her   
surprise, his lips only touching hers for a moment, and   
so softly that it made her think of a butterfly. Then,   
he stepped back and reassuringly smiled at her before   
positioning the tip of the heavy blade directly over   
his heart. " Just push as hard as you can, and don't   
tell me when you're going to do it."   
She choked back a sob and reluctantly put her   
hands on the hilt.  
  
************************************************  
  
At first, the newness of her surroundings scared   
her as she woke up, but then she felt the familiar shapes   
of the two kitties with her and was relieved. She   
implicitly trusted them because she felt good when   
they were near her.   
Luna was furthest from her. She almost couldn't   
see her in the sharp shadows inside the hiding place. The   
other kitty was next to her, but he seemed to be asleep   
just like Luna was. She struggled with trying to remember   
and say his name before falling back on the thought that   
came to mind.   
He was the kitty who was always sad when he was near   
her, and that troubled her greatly. He was one of her   
favorites, and she always tried to make the sad kitty   
happy whenever he was with her. She liked being happy   
more than she liked being sad, and wanted him to be that   
way, too.   
A shadow falling across the opening startled her,   
and she cried out before she could stop herself from   
doing it. They were supposed to be quiet, she knew, and   
the kitties were asleep.   
It was only her friend, however, the one who would   
sometimes visit her at night and hold her. The woman   
whispered something that she couldn't make out, but she   
still gurgled happily and held out her hands towards the   
woman in an attempt to get her to pick her up like   
before. She felt safe in the woman's arms and wanted   
to be there right now.   
The woman avoided her grasp and gently shook the   
white kitty. " Artemis. Artemis!"   
" Huh? he groggily said and shook his head. His   
movements woke Luna and she began to stir as well, and   
slowly opened her eyes. The girl smiled, having been   
reminded of the sad kitty's name.   
" Artemis," she giggled, calling out to him as   
well and feeling pleased with herself for getting it   
right. She reached her hands to the woman again and   
remembered what the girl who had left earlier had   
called her. " Pu."   
" I wish it was different, little one," the woman   
admitted and affectionately brushed back the hair over   
the girl's forehead. " It isn't fair to you to have given   
so much, and be called on again so soon."  
She turned her gaze to the cats. " I need her wand,   
Artemis."   
" I... there's only a few pieces left," he stammered   
as Pluto forced herself to a kneeling position and used   
her staff as a lever to push away the smallest rock   
forming the back of the shelter. He closed his eyes   
briefly and produced the few fragments that they had   
found among Minako's things after they fought the magi.   
" As long as it's something. I haven't done this   
before," the Senshi admitted.   
" What are you going to do, Pluto?" Luna asked while   
she looked around for some sign of Usagi. Her eyes grew   
sad as she saw the limp forms sprawled on the ground   
between them and the continuing struggle between Flare   
and Saturn. The former had managed to get one knee up   
off the ground, and was trying to get herself to a   
standing position.   
" Force Venus to wake up," she replied and turned   
to the child. She placed the pieces of the wand into the   
girl's hands and folded one of her own around them. The   
violet sigil of Pluto began to glow on her brow.   
" I couldn't reach her," Artemis confessed as he   
reigned in his fears. If there was any chance of his   
Minako coming back, this would probably be the end of   
it. He remembered how disjointed her memories were when   
she first awoke to her true identity, and that the same   
thing had happened after the victory over Beryl and   
Metallia.   
If she was coming back on her own, this would   
surely disrupt the healing process and she would be   
lost forever. On the other side of the ledger, however,   
was the fact that they were losing. Usagi was still alive   
right now, and both Venus and Minako had sworn an oath   
to protect her. He reluctantly nodded in acceptance.   
" We're more closely linked with each other than   
you were to her," Pluto explained and tilted the child's   
head back with her free hand so their eyes met. She made   
her sigil fade away and return again a few moments   
later. " You remember this, little one. We play the   
same game each time we meet, Venus."   
The blonde girl blissfully smiled back at the   
woman and a golden sigil began to shine on her forehead   
in response. Pluto leaned down and touched her sigil to   
the child's.   
" It is time, sister," she prayed and focused her   
considerable will into thinking of just this one   
thing. " We need you, Venus. Please come back to us."   
  
************************************************  
  
" What?" she murmured, feeling something strange   
as she woke up and took in her surroundings. Gray dust,   
she wondered for half a moment before forcing herself to   
her feet and falling back down from the wave of dizziness   
that was the result of the sudden movement.   
When her head cleared, she was able to determine   
that the thing poking her in the ribs was the handle of   
the Space Sword. Next, she had to find her partner. Her   
instincts told her that she was to her left. Her head was   
pointed in the other direction, so she lifted it slightly   
and started to gingerly look in that direction-  
And stopped halfway there.   
" What?" she exclaimed, seeing Pluto kneeling down   
in front of Minako-chan and holding her hands. Their   
foreheads were touching and a glow emanated from their   
respective sigils.   
The other thing she saw made her think that she had   
been hurt more badly than she first believed. She shook   
her head despite the pain to make sure that she wasn't   
hallucinating. Behind the child knelt a translucent figure   
with long, blonde hair and a white and golden fuku. The   
apparition had her arms around both the child and the   
Senshi in what looked to be a heartfelt embrace.  
A moment later, the phantasmal image and the child   
melted together in an outburst of golden light. Pluto   
collapsed heavily to one side, gasping for breath. The   
glow faded enough to make out an indistinct, kneeling   
form who began to stand. Luna cried out as the image,   
now distinguishable as a person, impossibly continued   
to rise up and get taller and taller than the child   
should be.  
" Venus?" Artemis asked in amazement as the young   
woman shuddered and looked at her hands like they weren't   
her own and didn't belong there. Her eyes glazed over for   
a moment like she was going to faint and she stumbled back   
a pace. She recovered her balance and looked down at   
herself. A few tentative steps were taken with confidence   
that grew after each one was completed. Ignoring the cat,   
the Senshi looked around with a sense of rising panic   
becoming painfully clear on her face.  
" Serenity?" she whispered and screwed up her face   
in concentration. " Where are you, Princess?"   
" Wait," Pluto groaned as the blonde's head   
snapped to the side and she made to run in that   
direction. The call stopped her in her tracks. " Help   
Saturn... if she falls, all is lost. We'll protect the   
Princess." Venus mulled it over for a moment, nodded   
and broke into a hesitant run towards Saturn with a   
glow forming between her hands.   
That's one part down, she told herself and took   
hold of the sword. The only thing that would keep Venus   
from helping the others like that would be Usagi. She   
forced herself to stand and begin to go in the direction   
Venus had indicated. Pluto had given her a job to do.  
  
************************************************   
  
He closed his eyes.  
She closed hers.  
The worst part was that he was right, she   
realized. His arguments made perfect sense to her. To   
the best of her understanding, both she and Saturn were   
roughly on the same level of power. The worst case was   
that both she and Saturn would be lost while stopping   
Sailor Sun and Flare. She couldn't ask that of Hotaru. She   
didn't want to die, either, but it was far preferable in   
her mind to put herself at risk instead of someone else.   
Unfortunately, that wouldn't work here. She could   
only stop one of them on her own if it came down to   
fighting. It was either kill Shino now in cold blood or   
kill Hotaru later on. Mamoru as well, along with   
Chibi-usa. His heart would have been ripped out, and   
the daughter who she had come to value so much would   
never have the chance to be.   
All she had to do to save them was to do something   
that contradicted everything that she had come to believe   
while she was growing up. She had long since stopped   
rationalizing away the deaths she had caused by saying   
that she wasn't really killing anybody. The looks of   
pain on the faces of the youma, or the shrill cries of   
the broken daemon eggs had convinced her of the lie in   
the argument she had first used. Instead, she had been   
able to get over it by understanding and accepting that   
losses in combat were more acceptable. When you fight,   
people get hurt, and sometimes they die.  
This wasn't a fight, however. Shino wasn't   
endangering her like the others had. He wasn't trying   
to hurt her friends. He wanted her to do this to him. This   
was an act of mercy in that it would keep him from being   
the one who destroyed the world. It was murder according   
to what she believed.   
Every fiber of her being told her that it was   
wrong. On the other side of the ledger was everyone   
she knew and loved, and the entire population of the   
planet. The math was easy, but it was not morally   
correct. One of Shino could cancel out all of the   
others in this case. Even his wanting her to do it   
wasn't enough to tip the scales enough to set her heart   
at rest.  
Unbidden, the physical details came to mind as   
she tried not to think about that part. Drive forward   
with your whole body, she remembered from her   
lessons. Don't just push with your arms, but with   
your entire body. Start with your legs and get the   
hips into the thrust as well in order to get the most   
power out of the move.   
The sword was sharp enough, too. She had been   
there when Ami cut a diamond with it while they were   
trying to figure out what the sword was made of. It   
would be simplicity itself to run him through with such   
a weapon, and it was positioned right over his heart.   
She mentally shouted at herself make her stop   
thinking about that and went back to the ledger. Was   
one person worth more than everyone else? This was not   
something that just numbers could resolve, no matter   
who was on what side of the books. She remembered her   
conversation with Haruka and Rei last night and scowled   
slightly. They might feel like the ends justify the   
means, but she didn't. Usagi let out the breath she   
realized that she was holding and took a few breaths.   
" I'm sorry, Shino," she whispered, snapped open   
her eyes and began to move in time to see the golden   
blade of the Space Sword fly past her and plunge into   
Shino's chest right above the one that she held onto. He   
jerked in surprise and his eyes flew open.  
" Haruka?" she gasped and almost turned, but her   
eyes met his that shone in gratitude and were caught.  
" Thank you, Usagi-chan" he said, not realizing   
that she wasn't the one to strike the blow. One of his   
hands reached for her and glanced off her arm, and she   
let the sword she held slip from her fingers. He started   
to smile when his eyes glazed over and he slumped to the   
ground.   
" I-" he breathed and was silent, laying there and   
staring up into space with eyes that no longer saw. She   
knelt next to him and gently pushed his eyelids closed.  
" I'm sorry, Haruka-san," she said without turning   
to the one who had thrown the sword. " I hesitated, and I   
shouldn't have."  
" I think that we can let it slide, just this   
once," a voice other than the one she expected replied,   
making Usagi turn around in surprise just in time to see   
Neptune lean against one of the larger rocks at the top   
of the gully for support.   
" Michiru?" she cried out in shock, not really   
believing it was her. The other woman had always been   
so refined and dignified that the thought of her killing   
someone seemed too crude to be considered. Haruka, yes,   
but not Michiru.   
" How long...?" she wondered aloud. A wave of a   
gloved hand cut her off, and the turquoise haired woman's   
eyes grew serious.   
" Long enough. I saw your shoulders tense as you   
started to change your stance."   
" Michiru-san," the blonde tried to explain and   
was cut off again.   
" No, Usagi-chan," she protested. " You're too   
good a person to dirty your hands with something like   
this. That's our job," she added as she walked over to   
her. "The world needs innocents like you as much as it   
needs us."  
The ground shook beneath their feet and the sound   
of an explosion reached them a moment later. " We'd better   
get back," Neptune decided as she pulled the sword from   
the young man's body, and nearly fell in the process. She   
smiled at the blonde. " Can I borrow a shoulder on the way?"   
  
************************************************   
  
Sweat was matting down her hair and her soaked   
through her fuku.   
She didn't know how much longer she could hold   
on. When she had first attacked, she had driven Flare   
down to her knees. Now, one foot was on the ground, and   
the redhead had just gotten the other one planted as she   
began to stand. She desperately tried to force Flare   
back down, or hoped for the barrier holding back the   
Glaive to break, or something to happen in her favor.   
It was painful to have her opponent in a position   
where she could actually hurt her but not be able to   
disengage quickly enough to attack. She seemed to be   
their only chance here, and she wasn't going to win it   
this time. Her concentration on holding her attack at   
the highest level of power she could reach without crossing   
the critical threshold prevented her from looking behind   
her to see what was happening.   
So far none of the ones who had fallen had gotten   
up to help her. She could see Mercury easily enough, and   
Tuxedo Kamen was partially in her field of vision. Hurry,   
Setsuna-mama, she prayed. Or Michiru-mama, or Haruka-papa,   
or any of them. She needed help.   
Flare forced herself up until she was standing on   
both feet now, and she was losing the advantage of her   
position to give her the leverage to hold her there. The   
higher the Glaive went, the less strength she was able   
to put into it. The redhead was taller than her, although   
not by much, but when that was combined with the barrier   
twenty centimeters above her hands it was becoming   
insurmountable. In a few moments, her only option would   
be to end the fight at the cost of ending her life.   
" Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" a voice cried out   
as a cloud of hearts slammed into the barrier. Saturn   
fell back, surprised and too weak to stop herself from   
falling as she jerked back by reflex at the torrent of   
sound. Flare was startled as well and was forced backwards   
a few steps as her shield wavered under the steady stream   
of hearts that Venus kept firing at her.   
" Venus?" the girl asked as she tried to stand and   
failed, unable to find the will to do so. The blonde didn't   
say anything but shrugged her head back behind her,   
obviously concentrating on their foe. She turned her head.  
" Saturn!" she saw Pluto waving and pointing at   
the still form of Uranus more than she heard her yelling   
over the din. The girl shivered, realizing that Uranus   
still was in the same position that she had fallen in. It   
must have been bad.   
Fear lent her the strength to run back to the two   
Outers. There was no sign of Neptune or Usagi. The worry   
on Pluto's face made her put aside her questions about   
  
Venus and she dropped to her knees next to the blonde.  
" This will have to be enough," she told Pluto and   
positioned her hands over Uranus' lower back. They were   
briefly outlined in a yellow glow as she channeled   
everything that she had left into this before falling   
backwards in a near faint. " I'm exhausted, Pluto. I don't   
have anything more in me."   
" You've done enough," the tall woman smiled at her   
as she lifted her up and leaned her back so she rested   
against one of the smoother pieces of marble. The Silence   
Glaive was placed nearby, and then she pointed over to the   
blonde, whose was beginning to stir. " She's moving. You   
got us this far, and we'll take it the rest of the   
way." Pluto tapped her staff upon the ground and vanished   
along with Uranus.  
  
************************************************  
  
" You're stronger than the others," the woman in   
black savagely grinned at her opponent. The flurry of   
reddish-gold hearts had held her at bay initially, but   
she was quickly able to shore up her defenses and start   
advancing on Venus. " Almost as strong as Saturn,   
actually.  
" Still," she sneered. " Saturn couldn't stop   
me. What makes you think that you even have the   
slightest chance of beating me?"   
" I will not lose," was the slow reply, each   
word bitten off in emphasis. " I swore an oath to   
protect her, and I've served her family for almost   
thirty years. I'll take you with me to Hell before I   
let you hurt her."  
" Then," Flare sneered and suddenly shot a blast   
of energy at Venus that knocked her to the ground. " I   
would suggest that you get ready to go there. It's time   
for this farce to end. No more games."   
Her sword appeared in her hand and she took a step   
towards the Senshi. Three golden points of light appeared   
around her, forming the corners of a triangle. A fraction   
of a second later, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto were standing   
around her. Neptune tossed the Space Sword over to Uranus,   
who caught it and gave Flare a grin that was devoid of any   
trace of humor.   
" The only one who will die this day is you,   
Flare," Pluto announced, detached the Garnet Orb from   
her staff and let the rest of the staff fall to the   
ground. " Get the others to safety, Venus. We're the   
anvil; you're the hammer."  
Then, finally, she gave Flare the smile that she   
had been saving up for so long. Like Uranus', it held no   
trace of warmth. She channeled into it all the   
frustrations she had felt from being left out of the   
parts of the battles that truly mattered, and all the   
pain she had felt as she watched the ones she cared   
for get hurt because of her not being there at the end   
like had happened so many times before.  
This time was different. Uranus and Neptune were   
low on energy, but not on the desire to stop this   
madwoman. She could carry them along through their link   
through the talismans. Nothing was going to keep her away   
from this fight, and Flare was now the surrogate for the   
others who had hurt her sisters.   
" Chronos Typhoon!"   
" Submarine Reflection!"   
" Space Sword Blaster!"   
  
************************************************   
  
She saw Jupiter staggering to her feet as she ran   
around a clutter of larger rocks that were probably once   
part of a building's foundation. The blonde just got her   
hands on the Senshi to help her back toward the others   
when they were thrown to the ground and a nova of light   
erupted from the place where the fight happened.   
" Hotaru-chan?" she whispered and dragged Jupiter   
to her feet and along with her towards the source of the   
explosion. She'd get Makoto to stay with the cats and put   
an end to this. A few steps later she stopped so quickly   
after rounding a rock that was too tall for her to see   
over that Jupiter plowed into her from behind and knocked   
her down, along with sending the sword she carried flying   
from her suddenly weakened grip.  
Three of the Outer Senshi had Flare surrounded and   
were attacking her with the talismans. Flare was screaming,   
and in obvious pain, but she was not down. The talismans   
each cast a cone of blindingly intense white light on the   
woman in between them, but she kept on moving and trying   
to fight back. The Outers were taking hits from the blasts   
of power she threw at them, but they refused to back down   
and stubbornly stood their ground.   
Saturn lay with her back propped up against the rocks   
that had sheltered Minako-chan and the cats, but one of   
the ones in the back had been rolled aside. She had her   
Glaive held across her lap, but her attention was on her   
partners, and Usagi turned her eyes back towards the   
fight. Something had caught her eye.   
Mamoru had been moved, she gratefully realized. One   
of them must have dragged him away from the actual fight,   
because Flare was still about where she was when Saturn   
attacked her.   
" Mamo-chan," she whispered, partially closing her   
eyes to try and determine how he was. The maelstrom of power   
from the talismans blocked her ability to perceive energies   
about as much as the glaring light affected her normal   
vision, but she was able to find out that he still was   
alive, and not as badly hurt as she feared. Then, a shape   
walked out from behind Neptune, dragging both Mars and   
Mercury along besides her.   
" Mina?" she stammered, her voice trembling. Usagi   
sprang to her feet and sprinted over towards the woman. She   
was crying again, but these were the first ones today that   
were caused by happiness. " Minako-chan!"  
" Serenity?" Venus replied, startled and spun around   
at the vehemence of the hug she was wrapped up in by the   
sobbing blonde. Despite her surprise, she still took hold   
of the girl and steered her back and away from the   
fight. " What are you doing here? Get back with Saturn   
this instant! She can do the best job of protecting you."  
Usagi dug in her heels to stop them. A tiny   
tendril of dread had insinuated itself deep into her   
heart. She looked up and caught the eyes of the person   
she thought was her friend. " Is that all you remember   
me to be, Minako? Am I just Serenity to you?"   
" Minako? Who is-" she began to respond and nearly   
collapsed, and almost dragged the other girl down. Her   
eyes grew wide and lost focus for several moments before   
she screamed hoarsely.   
" It's all mixed up. That's not right," she babbled,   
and her voice took on a hysterical edge. " I don't live   
there. I never lived there-"  
Usagi pulled away from Venus and slapped the Senshi   
across the face. The echoes from the blow seemed to last   
an eternity. Jupiter came up behind them and grabbed the   
Senshi by the shoulders. " Venus! Stop it right now. We   
don't have the time right now."  
" I... " Venus paused a moment and her demeanor   
returned to normal. " Thank you, Jupiter. Go get Prince   
Endymion and get him back by Saturn. I'll get Mars and   
Mercury together and try to wake them up. The Outers   
can't hold her forever."  
The brunette nodded her agreement and went to   
pick up the young man, and was glad that he wasn't   
wearing his armor right now. He was more solidly built   
than he looked.   
" I'll help," Usagi added, ran over to Mercury   
before Venus could stop her, and began dragging her   
back towards Jupiter and Saturn. She gave the blonde   
a defiant look that actually made her back down.   
" I'm sorry, Princess," the Senshi said softly   
as she picked up Mars. " You're obviously not the same   
Princess I remember."  
" In what ways?"  
" Nothing's right, it seems," she explained as   
she started moving back towards the others. " All the   
things that I remember don't feel like they belong. I   
grew up here on the moon, just like you did, but it   
doesn't feel right. There's no sense of attachment to   
it, and to all the other things that I remember."  
They reached the others and found Jupiter had   
managed to start to bring Tuxedo Kamen about. Venus   
gently set down Mars and helped get Mercury over and   
placed next to the red-clad Senshi. Usagi started to go   
over to her love when Venus' hand shot out and caught   
her wrist. " Venus?" she asked, feeling concerned as   
she was drawn in closer to her while Venus looked at   
her, then at the two on the ground and back to her.   
" Your clothes," she said, looking down at the   
gown the princess wore. " I remember this dress. You   
had it made especially for the ball to celebrate Mars'   
return from her home. Why do I keep recalling you in   
such plainer clothes?   
" Ones more like ours, but like the ones the   
commoners wore," she added, and the sight of her trying   
so hard to remember brought a tear to the princess'   
eyes. Venus was almost in pain from the effort she was   
putting into it, and suddenly brought her free hand up   
and covered the crescent on the other girl's forehead   
with one of her fingers.  
" Is it... " she stammered and tears began to   
run down her face. " Usagi?"  
" Mina," she sighed, feeling a heavy weight slip   
from her shoulders, and this time her fervent embrace   
was wholeheartedly returned. " I don't ever want to let   
you go," she giggled and happily watched the resulting   
smile that she had missed for so long.  
" Afterwards, Usagi-chan," she told her, reluctantly   
let go of the shorter girl and turned her towards the   
others. " We need to get them up so we can put an end   
to the battle. It will take all four of us together to   
destroy Flare."   
" Five," the princess quickly inserted.  
" Six," the prince added, rose and came over to   
them. He quickly hugged Usagi and then knelt by the   
two Senshi on the ground. A glowing hand was placed   
over each of their wounds for several moments. " Things   
are different now, Venus. We work together as a team. She's   
fought alongside you for some time recently."   
Both Mars and Mercury's eyes fluttered open as   
Jupiter took the opportunity to welcome back the blonde   
Senshi with a quick hug before helping the two others to   
their feet.  
" I'll cover you," Saturn announced and took up a   
position in front of them and slightly to the right of   
the direct line between the gathered Inners and the   
Outers. Her Glaive was held out in front of her in   
preparation for putting up a defense. " You just   
concentrate on attacking."  
Tuxedo Kamen shifted his clothes to his armor   
and sword, and took up a position on Usagi's right with   
one arm around her shoulders and took her hand with the   
other. By instinct, the Senshi took their places around   
them, with Mercury and Venus kneeling in front of the   
couple and Mars and Jupiter flanking them.   
The joined hands of the two royals began to glow   
as they called upon their respective crystals for their   
power. Usagi waited until she had adjusted to the extra   
power he gave her, willing it to stabilize and synchronize   
with hers. At her slight nod, the others began to summon   
up their own and stretched their hands out towards the   
target.  
" Mars Eternal Power!"   
" Mercury Eternal Power!"  
" Jupiter Eternal Power!"   
" Venus Eternal Power!"   
The four Senshi began to glow in the colors of   
their tiara stones, and when they had built up enough   
power, they cried out along in unison along with their   
princess at an unspoken signal.  
" Sailor Planet Attack!"  
  
************************************************  
  
One moment, Flare was continuing to keep up the   
barrier that was keeping her alive with an inhuman   
determination. The next, she turned towards Pluto and   
started to smile, except that something seemed to stop   
her from finishing it. Her eyes, however, spoke of   
forgiveness, and the oldest of the Senshi knew that   
the smile would have been slightly sad, and perhaps a   
bit wistful.   
The Planet Attack ripped through the space where   
Flare had stood and carved a furrow in the lunar soil   
clear to the horizon and continued on out into the depths   
of space, and there was no trace of the woman in the wake   
of it's passage.  
Pluto leaned heavily on her staff. Neptune and   
Uranus met halfway and Neptune put her head down on the   
blonde's shoulder. They traded smiles as Saturn came   
running over to them, hugging Pluto and helping her to   
join the other two. They simply stood together for a few   
moments, simply enjoying being together once more before   
they turned to move over by the others.  
The Inners were a far more demonstrative group. Usagi   
was torn between holding Mamoru or Venus until the young   
man gave her an understanding smile and pushed her over to   
her old friend, who was still fending off a surprised   
Mercury.   
" I don't know what that is, Mercury," Venus   
protested with a smile. " But I do know that look in   
your eyes. No questions or experiments until tomorrow." She   
grabbed the blue compact from her, closed it, and handed   
it back.   
Artemis and Luna jumped up onto their preferred   
shoulders as Usagi put one of her arms around the other   
blonde. " Venus!" he happily cried out, but quickly grew   
serious. " What else do you remember about us?"   
" Not much," she admitted to him and looked around   
at the rest of them. " I'm sorry, everyone, but I don't   
recall much other than your positions."  
" Positions?" Jupiter asked.  
" Titles," she responded, looking at the brunette   
mischievously. " You're Jupiter, for example, but for   
some reason, I get this funny idea that your name is   
Haruka. It's a good name for a tomboy like you."   
Jupiter groaned, but Uranus laughed, and Mars smiled,   
stepped up and hugged Venus and the princess at the same   
time. " She's our Minako-chan, all right. Nobody else is   
as good at bad jokes."   
" Venus, would you mind if Artemis or Luna looked at   
your mind?" Mamoru asked. " I'd like to find out if one of   
my theories are right about what happened to you. It has   
some bearing on something we need to do later on today."  
" No," she said." But can we all sit down first? I'm   
feeling awfully tired, and some of you look like you're in   
as good a shape as I am."   
" I'll second that," Uranus laughed. " I just wish   
we had something comfortable to sit on. We'll be a mess   
with all this dust."   
" I don't know about furniture," Usagi giggled." But   
maybe I can do something about the other part. Hold on a   
moment," she added, put one of her hands over Mamoru's   
eyes, conspiratorially winked at them, and changed all   
of their clothes into what she remembered was their   
favorite casual outfit that was up to the conditions.   
" Usa?" Mamoru asked, feeling her do something   
using magic. She took her hand away from his eyes so he   
could see her handiwork. Jeans and hiking boots, mainly,   
with lightweight, long-sleeved shirts seemed to be the   
predominant choices. She had even cleaned up the fine   
dust that had clung to them.  
" Pretty good, huh?" she giggled at him. " This magic   
stuff is a lot easier than I thought it would be."   
" 'Easy' she calls it," he groaned and pulled her   
down next to him on the ground, and the rest of them sat   
as well, arraying themselves in a loose circle. " You try   
doing something that isn't an extension of your   
transformation pen and then we'll see if you call it easy."   
Luna leapt clear and looked around the circle, not   
noticing the compact in Ami's hand. " Don't think that I'm   
going to let you go home real soon," the black cat   
announced. " Despite the change of clothes and an   
apparent bath, you're far too tired for a teleport   
right now. You might as well rest for a while," she   
added and walked over to sit on Venus' knee as she sat   
cross-legged. " If I may?"   
" I bow to the expert," Artemis teased her as the   
blonde nodded her agreement to the cat's request. The   
crescent on Luna's head began to glow, and the sigil of   
Venus shone in response. Both were silent for several   
minutes in a silent communion. Mamoru reached into his   
dimensional pocket and took out his backpack, and passed   
around a few bottles of water from it.   
" Oh, my!" she gasped suddenly. " Artemis, come in   
here and verify this." The white cat joined them in their   
rapport, and came out as shocked as Luna a few minutes   
later.   
" What did you find?" Michiru asked.   
" The arrangement of her memories," Artemis began,   
and then sheepishly looked over at Luna. " She's better   
at this than I am."   
The black cat acknowledged him with a grateful   
nod. " After the girls defeated Beryl and Metallia,   
there was a re-submergence of the old memories about   
the past and the Silver Millennium. Since Artemis and   
I carefully examined them after we reawakened them,   
we're familiar with what we found.   
" Her memories of her time in the Silver Millennium   
are now in the forefront of her mind, just like the ones   
of her time as Minako were right after Beryl. It's like   
her personality as Venus is now in control. She still   
only remembers as much about the Silver Millennium as   
the rest of you do, but those parts of her memories   
weren't affected by whatever happened."   
" That probably happened when I called out for   
her," Setsuna pointed out. " I wasn't trying to reach   
Minako. Venus is who we needed."   
" I think that you may be right, Setsuna-san," Luna   
replied, and looked around the circle with a smile. " The   
important thing, though, is that her memories of this   
time and life are not gone. They are just disrupted   
like all of ours about the past and the Silver Millennium   
are. It may take a long time, but our Minako-chan will be   
back with us."   
" Yes!" Usagi crowed in delight, much to the other's   
amusement. Artemis merely jumped up to Venus' shoulder with   
a pleased expression on his face like a cat that had just   
had a very large bowl of cream placed in front of him. Venus   
reached up and gave him a scratch under his chin that made   
him happily purr.  
Mercury's compact beeped.   
" Ami!" some of them laughed and protested her   
working. They stopped cold when she didn't get embarrassed   
by it, but instead slapped her ear to hastily bring up her   
visor. It was solid black instead of translucent blue. The   
reason why was clear enough when she spun and stared   
directly at the sun.   
" No!" she whispered and began to frantically type   
at the keyboard of her compact, still looking at the sun   
and muttering curses at herself under her breath for each   
mistake she made due to the small keys. It beeped at her   
several times, was silent for a moment as they waited for   
her to say something, and finally displayed something.   
She physically took off the visor and looked at the   
others. Defeat was written all over her face. She lowered   
her head to gaze at the ground in front of her, unable to   
look at them and say it at the same time. " The sun's   
starting to cool off."  
" What?" Usagi shrieked.   
" Ami, explain," Haruka angrily demanded.  
" I set my computer's scanners to look at the sun   
while we were out here," she began, not looking up at any   
of them. " I have a better sensor suite than anything in   
orbit, and I wanted to get a recording from out where we   
don't have to worry about the Earth's magnetic field   
getting in the way. The Moon's is a fraction of the Earth's.   
" The sun isn't producing as much of certain high   
energy particles as it was when we first got here. The   
output has slipped a fraction of a percent on average   
and is showing no signs of going back to it's normal   
state."   
" Couldn't it just be part of a cycle,   
Ami-chan?" Michiru asked while removing the Deep Aqua   
Mirror from her pocket. The blue haired girl shook her   
head.   
" No," she replied. " The rarest type of particle   
probably needs the highest temperatures to be produced,   
and that one is down nearly one percent. That's too big   
to be a normal fluctuation. Not in such a short period   
of time."  
" May I?" the woman asked and took the dark visor   
and looked at the sun's reflection in her mirror with it   
as a safety precaution. She frowned and handed the visor   
back to Ami, who absent-mindedly put it back on and   
stored it away. " It feels wrong to me as well."   
" What's going to happen, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked,   
feeling a sense of dread. Was this some horrible   
revenge by Sailor Sun for their victory?  
" Worst case is that it goes out and we all   
die," she glumly responded. " At best, the sun is too   
big to cool off quickly and this is a temporary   
thing. We'll still be looking at an ice age like   
nothing else we've seen."  
" The winter I foresaw!" Rei gasped.   
" Damn it!" Hotaru screamed and sprang to her   
feet, her face livid with rage. The Silence Glaive   
appeared in her trembling, white-knuckled hands. " After   
everything that we've done and after everything I had   
to give up, we're still getting the fucking Silence   
anyway and that bastard Pharaoh Ninety is going to win!"   
She looked like she was mad enough to use the   
Silence Glaive for several seconds before she screamed   
in frustration, threw it to the ground and collapsed   
in tears. Setsuna waved off the others and went to her,   
sat down and held the girl while she sobbed.   
" We should have realized that this was   
coming," Makoto quietly said. " We saw all the   
clues when we were in the future."   
" The future is never certain," Venus gently   
reminded her. " That was Pluto's favorite saying."  
Haruka walked over to Ami, kneeled and put a   
hand on her shoulder. " I'm sorry for snapping at you,   
Ami-chan," she apologized. " Do you have any idea of   
how long it will be?"   
" Twenty years, a hundred maybe. I just don't   
know enough right now," she sniffled. " I'll start   
boning up on my physics and take more readings. I'm   
sorry that I don't know enough right now to give you   
something more accurate. I can narrow it down in a   
little while."   
" You're not alone, Ami-chan," Michiru said as   
she took a seat near the girl. " We'll be glad to help   
you out with this."  
" Mamoru-san, too," the girl insisted. " After   
seeing how we worked together, I have a few ideas on   
how we may be able to combine our powers together on   
a much larger scale. Maybe even enough to get us out   
of this mess."   
" That's the spirit, Ami-chan," Haruka smiled   
and hauled the girl to her feet. " We'll get through   
this together. Is there anything else we need to do   
here right now?"   
Ami shook her head and Haruka looked around the   
area in order to remember what it was like. They'd   
probably return here at some point in the future, but   
it was best to play it safe. She smiled and walked   
away from the others to pick up something that had been   
forgotten.   
" Here," she told Venus, tapping her on the   
shoulder and handed her sword back to her. " Don't   
forget this."   
The blonde gave her a warm, understanding   
smile. " Do you remember how much you used to want   
this?" she asked.   
" That particular blade is too damn heavy for   
my liking," she chuckled and called the others over   
to her. There were things that they had to do down   
on the Earth.  
  
************************************************   
  
" Greetings, Father," he said, acknowledging the   
presence in the room. " You are welcome to join me if   
you so desire."   
" Even after all I have done?" the presence asked,   
the words coming from the empty air inside of the small,   
cold room with bare stone walls.  
" Yes, Father," he replied. " We are still willing   
to speak to you."   
" I'm not sure that I deserve the respect that   
title demands," the voice said. " I may have sired you,   
but my actions have not been that of a parent."   
" In that you are correct," the man admitted. He   
waved a hand around, indicating the rest of the room. " I   
believe that I know why you are here. You may gain a more   
complete understanding of them if you take on their   
form. We have found it to be helpful."   
A young man with green eyes, black hair and   
glasses walked in through the door, wearing black   
clothes. A cold and bitter wind swirled around the   
tiny shrine and through the open door but failed to   
blow out any of the flickering candles. After closing   
the door, he took a seat on a bench next to one of the   
walls and leaned up against it with a sigh.  
" That is the one that you were recently   
empowering, is it not?" the other man asked the   
newcomer, who nodded. The features on the one sitting   
above the bed shifted slightly to take on an older,   
more mature look to them as opposed to the indeterminate   
quality that they usually were.   
" It is his guise, and I am more comfortable with   
it for now," he said and paused a few moments to gather   
his thoughts. " I will confess that I do not understand   
them," the young man said. " Her most of all. She seemed   
so weak whenever I looked at her, but her true strength   
is concealed in the strength she inspires in others. And,   
despite everything I did to her, I feel that she would   
forgive me even now for my actions."   
" They surprise us every day, Father," the man   
laughed; a low, deep laugh full of humor. " She more   
so than many of the others. There is much that you can   
learn from them with us."   
" I'm starting to understand why you have been so   
interested in them," the young man replied.   
" Since we lost our beloved sister there are but   
nine of us left, Father," the man quickly interrupted   
with a gentle smile on his face. " Ten including   
yourself. Man alone numbers over five billion at this   
time, and many times that if you look at how long we   
have watched them and how brief their lives are. They   
give us so much to learn that we are eternally in their   
debt for their diversity."   
The younger man nodded, conceding the point to the   
one who still floated in the air above the bed. " And that   
is why you all stand watch over and protect them, correct?"  
" In part, although we only protect them from   
interference by others," the older man replied. " Our   
avatars are only a few among many, nor do we choose any   
who would misuse their power. They can only try and   
inspire others to follow their path."   
" I see where she gets her philosophy from," the   
young man ventured a smile. " An accident, or was it   
intended?"   
" Their beliefs are why we choose the ones that   
we do. That they feel the same as us gives up hope that   
they will prosper and survive. It was a fortunate   
accident, but an accident none the less."  
Time passed as they each considered what had been   
said.  
" I would ask you about forgiveness as well."   
" Do you wish ours or theirs?" the one over the   
bed asked.   
" I seek both. I would ask her about theirs, but   
I now see the wisdom in your approach to dealing with   
man through intermediaries. I will not directly approach   
them."  
" They would be most unsettled by your current   
looks," the man chuckled. " I can not answer for them,   
but I think that one act may satisfy both parties. Will   
you join us in learning from them and looking after them?"   
" I am honored that you would ask, child," the   
younger looking one said. " I had feared that you would   
deny me that opportunity. I will aid you to the best of   
my abilities."  
" Speaking of that, Father, how do you fare? We   
know that you are physically hurt by what transpired   
recently."   
" I think that it is a minor wound caused by my   
overexertion, but I have nothing to compare this   
against. Nothing has ever hurt me before, at least   
not in the physical sense, so I am not sure of what   
is happening. I have tried, and I cannot keep myself   
from slowly losing my power."   
" You have my condolences, Father."   
The young man smiled at that, although the smile   
was self-deprecating. " It would be ironic to have   
learned so much in losing to them and still gain the   
hollow victory that I had mistakenly thought would   
appease my pride."   
" Do not be too hard on yourself," the other   
consoled him. " Our avatars are resourceful beyond   
their years. What they have done recently is to find   
a way to make even more use of the power we give them. I   
will not be surprised if they find a way to deal with   
anything short of your actual demise."   
" What of their leader, the one who is not an   
avatar? Is she not going to be eclipsed in power by the   
others due to this act?"   
" She will be, eventually. We have agreed to give   
our avatars even more of ourselves to give them a chance   
to overcome this, but over a period of time so that they   
do not become aware of us as the source. They will feel   
it is a result of their actions, and not question it   
further."  
" That is not fair to her," the one in black   
responded, shaking his head while sifting through the   
memories he had from the time spent observing her. " I   
have but a small part of my strength remaining, but I will   
give it to her in the same fashion in order to make   
amends. I am responsible for their predicament, and I   
will do what I can to help."   
" You are most kind, Father," he warmly smiled   
and started to continue speaking, but stopped when the   
young man raised a hand.  
" I am not comfortable with that title, I have   
decided. To borrow a phrase from the humans, my position   
was merely an accident of birth. I would prefer that   
once I have earned the trust and respect that the word   
implies, you would call me brother."   
" Certainly," he smiled in response and stepped   
down from his position over the bed. He walked over and   
held out a hand to the young looking man. " You have   
made much progress towards that goal today, I   
believe. Would you like to come with me and meet   
the rest? They would be glad to greet the one who   
may soon become their new brother." The one in black   
nodded, stood and followed him out the door to a new   
place and new challenges.  
  
************************************************  
  
They arrived in the park they had left from. Thanks   
to the closure of this section, nobody was near enough   
to notice the flash of light that heralded their return.   
" Thank you, everyone," Usagi said, looking around   
at them. They still wore their regular clothes, a clear   
statement that things had changed from before. Haruka   
looked up at the sky, and noticed that the sun was   
almost at it's zenith.  
" I'd better get going with the rental van," she   
said. " I've got a bit of a drive to the house, and all   
I want to do afterwards is sleep through the weekend. You'll   
need to show me what I'm supposed to leave up there."   
" Be careful, Haruka-san," Makoto told her as   
they started walking towards the street where the van   
was parked.   
" It will probably be best if we get out of Tokyo   
for a while," Setsuna added and turned to face   
Haruka. " Our summer house where we raised Hotaru-chan   
is big enough for all of us and on your way. You can   
drop off everyone's personal belongings, and there are   
enough spare suitcases to take up some additional   
clothes to make it look like we were actually staying   
there."   
" We'll meet you there, love," Michiru whispered   
and went up on tiptoe to give her partner a peck on the   
cheek. " We'll walk to the other cars from here. Be   
careful."   
" I will," the sandy haired blonde replied and   
turned to look at the couple holding hands. " Can I   
give you two lovebirds a ride?"  
Usagi stopped in her tracks, sighed, and put   
her head down. Her hand dug into a pocket and came   
out with a calling card. " I need to make a call," she   
explained and walked a few steps away to a pay phone   
located at the joining of two paths.   
It wasn't fully enclosed like most of the public   
ones, so they were able to hear the buzz of the machine   
as she inserted the card and her nails clacking against   
the number buttons.  
" Hi, Mom," she said. " I just finished getting   
Chibi-usa-chan onto the train going back home," she   
began. The repeated hypnotic suggestions had made her   
family very susceptible to believing that her daughter   
was actually a distant cousin, and her mother would   
accept this without hesitation.   
" It's not an emergency, but she had to go back   
suddenly, Mom," she patiently explained. " Yes, she   
missed saying good-bye to you and dad," she said and   
paused a moment. " Even Shingo," she smiled playfully.   
" Listen, Mom," she said a few moments later   
and swallowed nervously because her voice was beginning   
to thicken and catch in her throat. " I changed my mind   
about something. I'm going along with my friends on   
that trip."   
" No, Usagi!" Rei hissed and started forward. Mamoru   
put his hand on her shoulder and forced her to stop. He   
shook his head, his eyes sad.   
" This is her choice, Rei-chan," he whispered. " We   
can't make it for her."   
" I'll be fine, Mom," Usagi went on and a tear   
worked it's way down one of her cheeks. " It is only   
for the weekend, and Ami-chan and Rei-chan are about   
my size. I can borrow something from them to wear. I'll   
be all right.   
" Tell Dad and Shingo that I love them, okay?" she   
smiled. " Yes, I'll see you on Monday. I love you too,   
Mama," she finished and hung up the phone. At first, she   
looked like she was going to collapse and cry, but she   
stood up straight and faced them.  
" Usagi, why?" Rei nearly sobbed. " You didn't   
have to do that. At least one of us should have been   
happy."   
" This was eventually going to happen, Rei-chan,"   
she explained and gave the priestess a consoling   
embrace. " We know that I'll have to become the   
Neo-Queen sooner or later. This way is best. It   
isn't the easy way, but is for the best."  
" Haruka-chan was explaining this to me, " Makoto   
added, put her hand on the blonde's arm and gave her a   
reassuring squeeze. " I think I understand what you   
mean, Usagi-chan."  
" What is there to understand?" Rei   
protested. " Why don't you want to be with them   
and be happy?"   
" I love them, Rei-chan," the blonde   
replied. " I love them so much that I don't want   
to see them hurt. I've seen too many of the ones   
that I love get hurt because of me lately, simply   
because of who I was. Soon, they'll get hurt   
because of who I am to become.   
" This way they can adjust to losing me   
and get on with their life. They'll be safe later   
on because nobody will be able to connect me to   
them. There are going to be people who will not   
agree with us when we create Crystal Tokyo. What   
better way for them to try and stop us than to use   
my family as a hostage?"  
" Why do you have to be so damn right at just   
this moment?" Rei sighed into her friend's   
shoulder. " What happened to the Usagi I used to know?"   
" Wait until our next math class," the blonde   
giggled for a moment before growing more serious. " This   
hurts, Rei-chan. It hurts more than I imagined it   
would. They know that I love them, however. My mother,   
the Queen, told me to make sure that I didn't ignore   
them as being my family as much as she was. I haven't   
done that. I've made sure that they know that I cared   
for them, and that they were important to me. This is   
as difficult for me as it is for all of you. It is not   
the easiest choice, or the happiest. It's the right   
one, though."   
" I understand, Usagi-chan," Rei sniffled and   
let herself be gently pulled back from Usagi by Makoto.   
" We'd best be going, then," Usagi said and nodded   
at Haruka, who turned and went on alone to do her part   
after she was told the items to take with her. The blonde   
then slipped under Mamoru's arm and started walking   
towards the park exit. She whispered something to him   
that was too low for the others to hear. He laughed in   
response, the ease and lightness of it making the   
others following them smile.   
" Are you sure that this is for Minako-chan?" he   
asked her with a broad smile across his face.   
" Of course!" she cried out, pretending to be hurt  
by the words that expressed his sudden lack of faith   
in her. " They didn't have ice cream in the Silver   
Millennium."  
  
************************************************   
  
" That's twice now," he softly remarked as he   
finished going through the motions of reading the   
entire paper for the second time that night, neatly   
folded it and put it on the table. He hadn't been a   
parent for nothing these past seventeen, no, almost   
eighteen years now. It was nice to see his son being   
so concerned about his sister, but the boy wasn't   
being very subtle about it.   
" I saw him, too," his wife replied as she kept   
on working at her sewing. She had heard Shingo make   
his way partially down the stairs as well, looking to   
see if they had moved yet from their usual place in   
the living room. " He knows that it is well past his   
bedtime."  
" If it was just Usagi-chan off on her own I   
would have been worried a lot earlier than this," he   
admitted.  
" I know," she sighed. " Ami-chan and Rei-chan   
are with her, and they won't do anything too   
foolish. I'm sure that there is a good reason   
for them to be this late without even calling."   
They had been sitting there since about five   
in the evening. Usagi and her friends were supposed   
to be back earlier in the morning from their weekend   
in the mountains. A delay of a few hours would have   
been understandable due to a number of reasons, but   
they at least had expected to hear from her or see her   
by noon. It was now approaching eleven.  
" I know who you would have been blaming a few   
years ago," she gently teased him with the reminder of   
his past feelings. He blushed slightly, embarrassed at   
the memory. The fact that Mamoru was four years older   
than their daughter had been a source of concern for   
both of them. Usagi had really surprised them by   
introducing him to them a little bit after her sixteenth   
birthday and being truthful with them about his age.   
They had heard about her Mamo-chan, as she called   
him, but had thought it nothing more than a simple   
friendship combined with a dose of infatuation. The   
talk on that night had been a surprise for all of them,   
and given them a good idea of the sincerity and depth   
of the relationship between their daughter and the young   
man. Usagi's impassioned defense of him and her calm,   
steadfast refusal to break it off had been the first   
real sign of her beginning to grow up.  
" We were both worried, but you were the one to   
get a crush on him," he reminded her and made her blush   
as well since it was true.  
" I just said that he was handsome," she protested   
and giggled as he put an arm around her and pulled her   
head down on his shoulders. " He had that same sparkle   
in his eyes when he looked at Usagi-chan that you have   
when you look at me, Kenji-san."  
He chuckled, kissed the top of her head and nuzzled   
her hair. They had worried about their girl, but Mamoru   
had been exemplary in his behavior. Mamoru had been   
respectful of them, properly deferential, and in all   
things a fine young man. He wasn't deceptive, nor was   
he doing it to impress them in order to earn their   
approval.  
" Well," he whispered to her and grinned. " If he   
is anything like I was, we do have some things to   
worry about."   
" She was with all of her friends," was her   
quiet reply. " Rei-chan and Ami-chan wouldn't let   
her get away with anything like that. Some fooling   
around, perhaps, but nothing to that extent."   
" I trust her to make the right decisions about   
her virtue," he said and his smile grew a bit wider as   
he felt her barely suppress a giggle. " Yes, I trust   
her when I think of her and him together. She's almost   
eighteen now, Iku-chan. If it was her and some other   
boy, I'd be following her on her dates with a baseball   
bat. I can hardly believe it myself, but that's how I   
feel."  
" I think that you're starting to trust her,   
Kenji," she laughed softly. They kissed and she stood   
up. " I'm going to try Ami-chan's again. It's closer   
to the way they'll be coming home," she said over her   
shoulder as she walked down the hall towards the phone   
by the front door.   
She hit the redial button on the phone and waited   
a few moments for the connection to be made. It rang   
twice, clicked, and the answering machine started up   
again with the same message that she had hoped not to   
hear. " Nothing," she called out to her husband and   
started to go back to him when the sound of the front   
gate closing made her look towards the front door. Two   
policemen with grim faces were walking up the path.  
  
************************************************  
  
It was a gray, gloomy morning. The sunlight had   
yet to burn through the morning fog in the foothills   
to the north of Tokyo. The weather certainly matched   
the blonde's mood on this Wednesday morning as she   
dejectedly sat cross-legged on an old tree stump that   
was about two-thirds the way up the low hill behind the   
large house they were staying at. It was on a good-sized   
parcel of land with large, lush lawns and a pool in the   
back of the house near the base of the hill.   
They had gotten there late at night on Friday right   
at about the same time as the story broke on the news. It   
was morbidly fascinating to watch the coverage as firemen   
put out the fires caused by the explosion that had   
supposedly killed them. Haruka came in about an hour   
later with a few small cuts on her face and arms.   
" I didn't even hit it that hard," she had   
protested while Michiru fussed over her and Hotaru   
healed up the cuts. Haruka had jokingly threatened   
to hold a practice session early the next morning in   
order to find out what was happening to their powers   
when she was teased about losing control, but also   
admitted that she was too tired for it.   
It was a common problem that night for all of   
them. They were tired for some reason even beyond the   
level that their efforts earlier during the fight would   
have called for. Sleeping arrangements were quickly   
made and most of them were out as soon as their heads   
hit their pillows. She had spent a few hours cuddling   
with Mamoru and talking about what had happened during   
the day, and what the future might hold for them before   
they fell asleep in each other's arms.  
She had almost screamed when somebody crawled into   
the bed with them. When it turned out to be a sleepy,   
flannel pajama-clad Minako nervously asking if she   
could stay with them and seeming to be nothing more   
than a taller version of the child she had been earlier   
in the day, she quickly relented and let her join   
them. Minako was asleep in moments while she and   
Mamoru looked at each other and broke into soft   
laughter, remembering how often their daughter had   
done that to them.   
That was a good memory, as was their wake-up   
call at noon the next day. Makoto and Setsuna had   
woken earlier and went shopping. Makoto had picked   
up enough to feed them for several days and promised   
a truly lavish meal for dinner. If it was anything   
like the late breakfast the brunette assembled they   
were in for a culinary delight that evening.  
As they gathered around a large table and ate,   
the others had a good laugh over what had happened with   
Minako the previous night, and Luna and Artemis were   
able to determine that she was not regressing on them. It   
only seemed to be a side-effect of the disruption of her   
memories as everything in her mind settled into place. The   
young woman had been a child for quite some time, and it   
was only natural that she would still act like one in a   
few ways for a little while. Hotaru blushed and admitted   
that she had done some things like that as well when she   
had her sudden and pronounced growth spurts.   
Setsuna had been busy herself while Makoto was in   
the market. She had picked up a variety of clothes for   
them in order to have more than a few outfits until   
they did some more serious shopping later on. The woman   
only smiled when they all found out that everything fit   
perfectly and asked her why.  
After the meal, Setsuna had spent a few hours on   
the phone making some financial arrangements. When it   
was formally announced that they were dead, one of her   
representatives would approach Trevor Edwards, a British   
millionaire and philanthropist who lived in Tokyo most   
of the year. He had hosted a party that most of them   
had gone to once, and had remembered them although he   
had mercifully forgotten nearly losing his heart crystal   
to the Deathbusters.   
Edwards would be asked to administer a trust to   
financially help their families, and several of the   
companies that Setsuna held controlling stock in would   
be used to funnel a large amount of funds into the   
trust. Coupled with the settlement of the claims that   
would probably be filed against the manufacturer of the   
propane tank, their families would not want for anything   
for the rest of their lives. Naturally, no amount of   
money could replace them, Setsuna explained, but this   
would help take care of their families.   
That part went well, she reminded herself and   
returned to the present. She had asked Setsuna to also   
make the arrangements for a pair of headstones for Hamaji   
and Shino. They were as much victims of Sailor Sun as any   
of the Senshi were. Rei had told her that Hamaji was still   
listed as missing by the police, and Shino was never going   
to return home, either. Their parents would be left   
wondering what had happened to their children for the   
rest of their days.   
The headstones would be in place in a distant   
cemetery in a few weeks. The remoteness would ensure   
that there was little chance of anyone making the connection   
between the two who had disappeared from the same area of   
Tokyo and now were apparently buried together. She would   
have to remember to thank Setsuna and to make the time to   
go there and pray. They had to be in a happier place now   
since they had gone through so much already.  
Not like her, she knew. It was no longer a certainty   
that she felt that she would be going to heaven. She   
looked down at her hands. They were painfully clean,   
and the skin was starting to dry out from repeated   
washings. No matter what she did, they still felt like   
they were covered in blood. Shino's blood.  
It didn't matter that Neptune was the one to   
actually strike the blow. She knew with a grim   
certainty that she had been about to kill her   
friend. Haruka had explained to her how the Outers   
felt about killing. Distasteful, but sometimes   
necessary. Michiru had graphically demonstrated   
that she felt the same.  
She shivered and leaned her head forward,   
her long, loose blond hair falling forward around   
her face as she closed her eyes. Before that moment,   
she would have sworn on anything that she couldn't   
have done that to anybody, let alone kill a friend   
in cold blood. She had been able to stand firm on   
her belief that she was not like them.  
Now she wasn't quite sure. Mamoru had been so   
worried that she was going to change as time went   
on. She had flippantly brushed aside his worries at   
the time, and only two days later had taken the first   
step down the path that he was afraid she would follow.   
Once again, she felt the blood on her hands. Slowly,   
deliberately, she opened her eyes and stared at them. No   
blood, she reminded herself. The only sign of red was the   
nail polish she was trying out. It is all in your mind,   
she reminded herself and started making her way down the   
hill towards the house. Any thoughts of soap and water   
were forced from her mind as well as she could as she   
sought out Mamoru. She knew that she would need his   
help to make it past this.   
  
************************************************  
  
" Hi!" she called out as she came through the door   
and put her jacket over the back of the chair by the   
hospital bed. " How did physical therapy go?"   
Umino groaned in response and seriously   
contemplated throwing a pillow at her, but he was   
too tired to get up and retrieve it if he   
missed. " Better," he finally said. " I did a   
sit-up on my own for the first time."   
" That's great!" Naru smiled and clapped   
her hands. She took a seat in the chair right by   
his bed and took one of his hands in hers. " The   
doctors say that your stomach muscles are healing   
up very nicely. You should be able to be out of here   
in about a week."   
" Now that is great news," he grinned back at   
her. " This was no way to spend a summer break. I won't   
even miss too much in class," he said lightly, but he   
also hid his concerns for her. She had been in here  
with him every day when she should have been off having   
fun and enjoying her vacation, even though he did   
treasure the fact that she cared so much.   
" Umino!" she scolded him with a grin on her   
face. " You've already completed your homework for   
the rest of the semester. Take the time now to rest   
while you can."   
" That's not a bad idea," he agreed and hid a   
yawn behind his free hand. " I'm awfully tired from   
therapy. Would you mind if I take a short nap?"   
" Not at all," she replied and pulled out a novel   
to read while he dozed off. The book held her interest   
for fifteen minutes or so before she grew restless. She   
put the book down and tapped the controls at the side   
of his bed, turning on the television. The sound was   
low enough to not bother him but loud enough for her   
to hear.   
The main stories were ones she had heard earlier   
or read about in the papers that morning. She let her   
mind wander through a commercial break and only began   
to pay attention a few seconds into the next story.  
" Scientists have announced an unexpected drop in   
the rate of global warming," the announcer was   
saying. " While the average temperature continues   
to rise, the rate at which it is doing so has dropped   
slightly, according to a group of international   
experts. It is hoped that the continuing efforts   
towards reducing pollution worldwide are a factor   
in this, but it is too early to tell. All of the   
scientists involved in the report say that more   
studies are needed.   
" In other news, the Juban region of Tokyo is   
mourning the loss of several of it's own. The police   
have just released the names of the nine people lost   
when the mountain home they were staying in exploded   
two weeks ago. Police are still investigating, but do   
not suspect any wrongdoing at this time. The cause of   
the blast is thought to be a faulty valve on a propane   
tank.   
" Among them are two of Tokyo's own   
celebrities. Michiru Kaioh, an internationally   
recognized violinist and painter, and Haruka   
Ten'ou, a well known professional racer on the   
Formula One circuit. Both lived near Juban along   
with the child the couple had recently adopted,   
who was with them at the time.  
" Also lost was Rei Hino, the daughter of   
the secretary to the head of the Liberal Democratic   
Party. The other five were all residents of that   
suburb and students in local high schools or   
universities. They have been identified as Mamoru   
Chiba, Makoto Kino, Ami Mizuno, Hotaru Tomoe, and   
Usagi Tsukino."   
The young woman didn't hear any of the rest. She   
put her head down on his chest and began to silently   
weep.  
  
  
  
  
The End.  
  
  
  
************************************************  
  
All characters are copyrights of the respective   
holders.  
Please send comments, etc. to the above e-mail   
address.  
  
Special thanks to the following...  
  
Naoko Takeuchi, of course.  
The depth of her creation still continues to amaze me.   
  
Luna and Artemis for kind words, support, and being   
good friends for so long. Through good times and   
bad, they have been there.   
check out their page at  
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/  
for the best Sailor Moon fan-fiction collection.  
  
Greenbeans for so many things, especially for showing   
me with her own works all the things I should have   
done better in mine.   
check out her page at  
http://www.kfalls.net/~gbeans  
  
Tamex and Silver, aka Jen Burns and Troy Stanton of   
Sailor Moon V fame. good friends with a good story.   
  
Jackie Chiang, sage advice, good fics and for being   
as much of an Outer Senshi fan as I am.  
check out her page at  
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/3741/   
  
Alex Glover for his wonderful work on manga synopsii.  
unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the   
status of those is up in the air. check out his   
page for the latest information.  
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm  
  
and last, but certainly not least, to Andrea Lam, a.k.a.   
Chibi-mika at the dolly station on O+-, for being a   
test reader and making sure I saw many of my mistakes.  
  
Without all their help, this story would not be as good  
as it is.  
  
Many thanks,  
  
Tim Nolan.  
6-30-97.  
  
  
The End of the Beginning  
end {4/4}  



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